Five months have passed since that tragic day when 38 lives were lost in the skies over Kazakhstan. An Embraer passenger jet operated by Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL), flying from Baku to Grozny, was shot down near the Chechen capital and crashed near Aktau airport. Dozens of innocent people became victims of negligence and disregard attributed to the Russian side. Yet five months on, Russia has not accepted responsibility. The only gesture has been a statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who apologized to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for the fact that the “tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace.” That was all: no investigation, no accountability, no compensation. On the contrary, Russian officials attempted to shift blame to Ukraine, claiming Ukrainian drones had struck the aircraft.
Still, Azerbaijan continues to seek justice — demanding that those responsible be held accountable, that the Russian side find the courage not only to utter perfunctory regrets but to formally acknowledge wrongdoing and face the consequences.
“We still know nothing about the state of the investigation. We tried to get answers, but received none. From the Russian side — no compensation, no explanations,” said Elena Kalyaninova, mother of the deceased pilot Aleksandr Kalyaninov, in an interview with Minval. “I’ve spoken to other families who lost loved ones or were affected by the crash — and it’s the same story: silence. No explanations, no compensation, no effort by Russia to assume even a trace of responsibility.”
Her words are echoed by Jalil Aliyev, father of Hokyuma Aliyeva, a flight attendant who died in the crash: “We still have no information — neither on the progress of the investigation nor on potential compensation from Russia. We live in a state of complete uncertainty. All I can say is: we are still waiting.”
From the very beginning, Russian media launched a predictable campaign of deflection. Theories about bird strikes, mechanical failures, and gas explosions — all to avoid acknowledging the obvious. But the facts are hard to ignore.
Survivors spoke of explosions and shrapnel. Damage to the fuselage indicated missile impact. The catastrophe occurred because Russian air traffic controllers failed to inform the crew of a danger zone, neglected to warn of an ongoing military operation, and never relayed the “Kover” (Carpet) air defense alert that had been activated over Grozny. The aircraft was caught in a lethal trap. Only the professionalism and sacrifice of the pilots and crew saved the lives of 29 passengers.
And what was Russia’s response? On December 28 — days after the crash — Vladimir Putin spoke with Ilham Aliyev by phone (at the Russian side’s request), apologized for the tragedy occurring in Russian airspace, and expressed condolences to the families of the victims.
He apologized. He acknowledged the incident occurred in Russian airspace. He expressed condolences. But since then — silence. No admission of guilt. No accountability. No compensation to the victims’ families. Just the familiar pattern of evasion and suppression.
Azerbaijan, by contrast, has acted differently in comparable situations. When a Russian military helicopter was downed on November 9, 2020, Azerbaijan immediately admitted fault, apologized, and paid compensation to the victims’ families. The same occurred after the death of Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh on September 20, 2023. Because this is a matter of honor and responsibility. Because behind every lost life is a mother who will never see her son again, children who have lost their father. No political calculation justifies such pain.
But once again, Russia has chosen the path of disinformation and denial — the same pattern seen with the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 in 2014. On July 17, 2014, a Boeing 777 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over Donetsk. All 298 people aboard were killed. It became one of the deadliest air disasters in history and the subject of an international investigation. For years, Russia denied the obvious, deflected blame, and obstructed the truth. Yet recently, the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) delivered a historic decision: holding Russia responsible for the downing of MH17.
A majority of ICAO Council member states agreed that Russia violated the Chicago Convention by using force against a civilian aircraft. This landmark decision reaffirmed the Council’s commitment to international aviation safety and underscored the responsibility of states to ensure secure airspace.
It is worth noting that the ICAO complaint against Russia was filed in March 2022 by Australia and the Netherlands, whose citizens made up the majority of MH17’s victims. In June 2024, Russia withdrew from the proceedings, declaring that it did not recognize ICAO’s jurisdiction in the matter.
Regrettably, Russia is now repeating the same approach with the Azerbaijani case. The pattern is the same. The tragedy is met with denial, obfuscation, and political posturing.
Azerbaijan today demands clarity: to identify and prosecute those responsible for the downing of the AZAL aircraft, to provide compensation to the victims and their families, and to ensure such incidents do not recur. Baku will not allow this truth to be buried beneath layers of excuses, distractions, and silence.
Nurlana Maharramova
Translated from minval.az
