On December 28, Russian leader Vladimir Putin apologized to his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev “for a tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace”, without acknowledging Russia’s role in the downing of a flight in Kazakhstan. commercial of Azerbaijan Airlines, which killed 38 of the 67 people on board. Preliminary results of the ongoing investigation into this tragedy indicate that the plane was accidentally shot down by Russian air defense forces.
Differences in statements from the Kremlin and Aliyev’s presidential office regarding their December 28 conversation indicate that Putin’s apology will not be enough to quell Azerbaijan’s anger.
Mr. Putin’s statement noted that at the time of the incident, several Russian cities in the North Caucasus, including Grozny, the intended destination of the Azerbaijani flight, were under attack by “Ukrainian combat drones, and defense equipment Russian air force repelled these attacks. Aliyev’s statement goes further by establishing a clear link between Russian air defense activity and the crash of the Azerbaijani airliner.
The Azerbaijan Airlines jet, “being in Russian airspace, was subjected to external physical and technical impact and completely lost control, [et] was directed towards the Kazakh town of Aktau,” underlines Mr. Aliyev’s statement.
“The fuselage of the plane is pierced with numerous holes; passengers and crew members were injured by foreign particles that penetrated the fuselage and cabin of the plane,” the statement added, specifying that the damage and injuries were caused by DCA fire. .
Accepting responsibility for tragic errors involving downed airliners has never been part of the Kremlin’s policy, well before Putin’s time in power. In 1983, Soviet authorities initially denied shooting down a Korean Airlines jumbo jet over the Sea of Okhotsk. Then, faced with irrefutable evidence of Russian responsibility, the Kremlin claimed that the plane was on a spy mission.
Mr. Aliyev categorically rejected the proposal made by Russian and Kazakh officials to create a special commission under the auspices of the Commonwealth of Independent States to oversee the investigation into the crash. Azerbaijani media suggested that Russia was working to whitewash the investigation and prevent a full picture of the circumstances of the accident from being revealed.
“Recent developments reveal Russia’s attempts to minimize damage to its reputation,” read a commentary published by Aze.media, a media outlet close to the government.
Mr. Aliyev appears determined to hold Russia accountable for its actions. He insists on the need for an international and transparent investigation, according to his presidential statement. “Information will be regularly communicated to the public.
More and more airlines that were still serving Russia before the disaster are announcing the withdrawal of their flights to Russia. TASS reported on December 28 that Turkmenistan airline Turkmenistan Airlines suspended its regular flights between Ashgabat and Moscow for a month starting December 30.
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