The head of Rosaviatsiya, Alexander Neradko, made another statement, once again attempting to obscure the circumstances surrounding the tragedy of the Azerbaijani Embraer 190 passenger plane. His remarks presented a characteristic blend of truth, half-truths, and outright falsehoods.
Neradko was forced to acknowledge that a “Kover” protocol was in effect at the Grozny airport during the landing of the Azerbaijani aircraft due to an attack by Ukrainian drones. However, he failed to explain how the plane, according to surviving passengers, made three landing attempts in Grozny, and why none of the air traffic controllers, judging by the transcripts of crew-to-ground conversations that have surfaced, informed the pilots about the “Kover” protocol or the activity of air defense systems in the area.
Furthermore, Neradko claimed that the aircraft’s captain was allegedly offered multiple alternate airports for landing and that he supposedly chose to fly to Aktau. However, sources within the Azerbaijani government told Euronews that the failing plane was directed to Aktau by Russian air traffic controllers.
As an added note, Neradko reiterated that there was dense fog at the Grozny airport at the time. Unlike his earlier statements, there was no mention of birds this time.
Most importantly, Neradko ignored evidence and reports suggesting that the Azerbaijani passenger plane was struck by a Russian surface-to-air missile as it approached Grozny. Evidence includes perforations in the aircraft’s fuselage and passengers who sustained injuries even before the attempted landings. Yet Russian aviation authorities, as reflected in Neradko’s statement, continue to deny the presence of any air defense activity.
One might hope that the decryption of the black boxes will provide clarity. However, there is no need to wait for the decryption to see the perforations on the plane’s fuselage or to read Hamzat Kadyrov’s boastful remarks about how air defense successfully shot down all drones. Hamzat Kadyrov, notably, is the nephew of Akhmat Kadyrov.
What is urgently needed from Russian authorities today is accountability and tact. After shooting down a passenger plane in the sky, one must have the courage to take responsibility, express regret, apologize, launch an investigation, and hold those responsible accountable. Obfuscating the facts and piling lie upon lie is not only disappointing—it is infuriating.
Meanwhile, airlines from many countries are refusing to fly to Russia. AZAL is also significantly reducing its flight geography. This is just the visible part of the response to the lack of basic aviation safety standards in Russia.
Baku refrains from assuming that the Azerbaijani plane was deliberately targeted. Such air defense mistakes do happen. However, everything that occurred after the missile launch appears to be deliberate and calculated. This includes directing a damaged aircraft with failing hydraulics and ground-disabled navigation systems to Aktau, as well as the ongoing attempts to evade responsibility and concoct implausible explanations for the crash of flight J28243 on the Baku–Grozny route. The longer this inexplicable delay continues, the harder it will be to repair the consequences of the Aktau tragedy for bilateral relations between Baku and Moscow.
Nurani
