​​Kadyrov awards surviving crew members from Azerbaijan Airlines crash

Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov has awarded the two surviving crew members of Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243, which crashed  en route from Baku to Grozny on 25 December 2024.

Kadyrov announced the awards in his Telegram channel, stating that Azerbaijani flight attendants Zulfugar Asadov and Aidan Rahimli were presented with the medal ‘For Merit to the Chechen Republic’ for their courage and high professionalism.

Asadov and Rahimli took part in evacuating surviving passengers despite their injuries. Asadov suffered a serious injury to his left arm and underwent a complex operation, while details of Rahimli’s injuries have not been released.

Kadyrov also noted that a memorial plaque would be erected in Grozny in memory of the victims of the crash. He also expressed condolences to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, as well as to the families and loved ones of the victims, calling the plane crash ‘our common pain’.

Though Kadyrov has not publicly commented on the circumstances of the plane crash, the Chechen authorities previously offered financial assistance to injured passengers as well as the relatives of those deceased. According to Azerbaijani media, Baku rejected the offer, insisting instead on an admission of guilt and an apology from Russia.

The plane crash occurred en route from Baku to Grozny, during which the plane was forced to crash land near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan. There were 67 people on board, 38 of whom died.

According to preliminary investigation data published by Kazakhstan's Transport Ministry on 4 February 2025, the plane was damaged due to external impact. Reuters, citing sources in the Azerbaijani government, reported that the plane could have been shot down by a Russian Pantsir-S1 air defence system.

Aliyev later said that although the damage to the plane was not intentional, responsibility for the crash lies with Russian representatives, and demanded that those responsible be recognised and punished. Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologised for the incident but has not admitted responsibility.

At the time of publication, there were no official comments from the Azerbaijani side regarding Kadyrov’s awards.

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

Two days after the plane crash, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev openly accused Russia of bringing down the Baku-Grozny flight.

OC MediaAytan Farhadova