Azerbaijani media outlet Minval Politika has published a detailed timeline of the crash of an AZAL flight that occurred on December 25, 2024, in the skies over the North Caucasus. According to the outlet, the order to destroy the civilian aircraft was given by Major General Aleksandr Tolopilo — who at the time was the commander of Russia’s 51st Air Defense Division.
The outlet cites sources familiar with internal investigation materials and, for the first time, publishes the names of Russian military personnel involved in the operation. It is stated that the missile launch was carried out from Pantsir-S air defense system No. 274, operated by Captain Dmitry Paladichuk.
According to the published information, in the morning of December 25, a “drone threat” alert was declared in several regions of Russia, followed by the introduction of the “Kover” protocol, which restricts air traffic. The Embraer 190 aircraft of AZAL, flying from Baku to Grozny, was temporarily not under radar tracking.
At 08:12 local time, Captain Paladichuk reported detecting a target, visually identified as a UAV. A minute later, he received an order to destroy the target from Lieutenant Colonel Nikolai Orlyansky, who was acting on the command of Major General Tolopilo.
At 08:13:27 and 08:13:48, two missiles were launched, striking the civilian aircraft.
Named individuals
Minval Politika names the following officers who were on duty on the day of the incident:
Colonel Gennady Eremenko (duty officer of the 4th Air and Air Defense Army),
Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Yanovsky (Southern Military District),
Captain Dmitry Pudovkin (navigation officer of the 51st Air Defense Division),
Lieutenant Colonel Nikolai Orlyansky,
Captain Dmitry Paladichuk.
The Russian Telegram channel Astra reported that the officers named in the publication are indeed affiliated with the military.
According to Minval, after the incident, Major General Tolopilo submitted false information in documents — specifically, he claimed that the missiles had self-destructed. The report also mentions attempts to conceal the technical condition of the Pantsir-S system and the temporary loss of radar tracking of the AZAL flight.
Tolopilo was later transferred to a new post in the Eastern Military District — as Deputy Commander of the 11th Air and Air Defense Army.
On July 19, 2025, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that Baku is considering filing a lawsuit against Moscow in an international court. According to Aliyev, “in seven months, Azerbaijan has not received a single clear answer” from the Russian side regarding the investigation.
The press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the possible lawsuit, stated that the Kremlin will “await official verdicts” and confirmed that relations between the two countries are currently going through a “difficult period.”
