Aliyev calls on Russia to admit guilt for AZAL plane crash and pay compensation

On 29 December, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev called on Russia to admit its guilt in causing Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) flight J2-8243 from Baku to Grozny to crash on 25 December.

Speaking in a live interview with Azerbaijani state media, Aliyev stated that while the Russian side had apologised, ‘this is not enough’.

‘It must admit guilt, bring the guilty parties to criminal responsibility, and pay compensation to the Azerbaijani state, the injured passengers, and crew members,’ Aliyev said.

Aliyev also stressed during the interview that while the ‘final version’ of what occurred to bring the plane down would only be known after opening the black boxes, the initial versions of events are ‘also quite reasonable and based on facts’.

‘The facts are that the Azerbaijani civilian plane was damaged from outside on the territory of Russia, near the city of Grozny, and practically lost control. We also know that our plane was rendered uncontrollable by electronic warfare. This is the first damage inflicted on the plane. At the same time, as a result of fire from the ground, the tail section of the plane was also badly damaged,’ Aliyev said.

He emphasised that the fact ‘the fuselage was full of holes’ disproves the version that the crash was caused following a ‘collision with a flock of birds.’

‘Of course, our plane was shot down by accident. Of course, there can be no talk of some kind of deliberate terrorist act here. Therefore, admitting guilt, promptly apologising to Azerbaijan, which is considered a friendly country, and communicating this to the public — all these were the measures and steps that needed to be taken. Unfortunately, for the first three days we heard nothing from Russia except crazy versions,’  Aliyev said.

Later that day, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with Aliyev during which they continued to discuss issues related to the AZAL crash.

During the conversation, Putin noted that the AZAL flight had been flying according to schedule and repeatedly tried to land at Grozny Airport. At that time, Grozny, Mozdok, and Vladikavkaz were allegedly attacked by drones, using Russian air defence systems to repel the attacks.

While he again apologised for the fact the incident occurred in Russian airspace, as well as offering deep and sincere condolences to the victims’ families and wishing those injured a speedy recovery,  Putin did not make any comment regarding what caused the crash.

That same day, Turan reported that a dispatcher at Grozny airport had confirmed that a restricted airspace regime was introduced after the AZAL plane had been hit by a missile. According to the dispatcher, the first time the plane was hit was when it was 18 kilometres from the Grozny airport, over Chechnya’s Naursky district.

Aliyev ‘must say these things’

According to Elman Fattah, a member of the oppositional Third Republic platform currently living in exile, the response within civil society to Aliyev’s statements ‘lacks systemicity’.

‘Accusing Aliyev of being Putin’s henchman today and praising him for speaking out against Putin the next day is a sign of political sterility. Such a policy may seem principled, but it lacks systemicity.’

Fattah told OC Media that in reality, Putin and Aliyev are ‘so close that they become even stronger, quarreling from time to time.’

‘Systematic and consistent criticism of Aliyev is fruitless if it is not based on a clear political vision and nothing is born from it. It is necessary to understand once and for all that the relationship between Aliyev and Putin is a labyrinth on which political tactics should not be built. Their closeness to each other goes beyond political allies,’ he said.

Writing on social media on 29 December, historian and prominent political activist Altay Goyushov emphasised that Aliyev ‘must say these things’, noting that Russia’s attempt to hide what had happened failed.

‘In addition, the public asked obvious questions, why the borders are not opening, why the residents of a rich country go [to Russia] for a piece of bread, why passenger planes fly almost every day to where there are battles and combat drones fly in the sky, and they are shot down,’ he wrote.