Azerbaijani president demands Russia admit guilt in fatal plane crash, pay compensation
Azerbaijan has issued three demands to the Russian authorities regarding the December 25 Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash that claimed 38 lives, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in an interview with state television on Sunday.
“First, the Russian side must apologize to Azerbaijan. Second, it must acknowledge its responsibility. Third, those responsible must be punished and held criminally liable, and compensation must be paid to the Azerbaijani state, as well as to the affected passengers and crew members. These are our conditions. The first of them was fulfilled yesterday, and I hope the others will also be met,” Aliyev said.
Aliyev added that these demands were officially conveyed to Moscow on December 27.
“There is nothing extraordinary or excessive in these demands,” he said. “They are based on international norms and principles of ordinary human decency.”
An Azerbaijan Airlines plane traveling from Baku to Grozny crashed Wednesday morning near Aktau in western Kazakhstan, killing 38 people. Euronews and Reuters, citing sources in the Azerbaijani government, reported that the crash was caused by a Russian air defense system. Euronews stated that a missile was fired at the plane during “drone activity” over Grozny and detonated near the aircraft, damaging its structure.
On December 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin called Aliyev to apologize for the “tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace” and offered condolences to the victims’ families.
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