Plane crash: Pay compensation, Azerbaijan President tells Russia

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev stated on Sunday (December 29) that a passenger plane which crashed last week, resulting in the deaths of 38 people, had been damaged by gunfire originating from the ground whilst it was in Russian airspace.

Speaking on state television, Aliyev demanded that Moscow issue an “acknowledgement of guilt, punishment of those responsible, and payment of compensation.”

A Euronews report, quoting Azerbaijani government sources, said an initial investigation revealed a Russian surface-to-air missile had been fired at the aircraft on Wednesday as it flew over Chechnya.

Three conditions

“We have clearly conveyed our demands to the Russian side. These were formally submitted on December 27. What are they? Firstly, the Russian side must apologise to Azerbaijan. Secondly, they must recognise their guilt. Thirdly, they must hold those responsible to account, bring them to criminal responsibility, and pay compensation to both the state and the injured passengers and crew,” Aliyev said.

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“These are our conditions. The first has already been fulfilled as of yesterday. I hope the rest of our demands will also be met,” he added.

At the same time, Aliyev noted that the plane had not been shot down deliberately.

“Of course, our plane was not shot down intentionally. To admit guilt, to apologise promptly to Azerbaijan — a country considered a friend — and to make this public were all necessary steps that had to be taken,” he said.

Putin's apology

On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin apologised during a telephone conversation with Aliyev for the “tragic incident” involving the Azerbaijan Airlines plane in Russian airspace.

Putin claimed that Ukrainian drones had attacked Grozny in Chechnya, along with the cities of Vladikavkaz and Mozdok, at the same time the flight was approaching to land. He stated that “Russian air defences repelled these attacks.”

“Of course, the final conclusions will only be known after the black boxes are analysed,” Aliyev remarked. “But the initial findings are sufficiently substantiated and based on facts.”

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“The facts are that the Azerbaijani civilian aircraft sustained external damage within Russian territory, near the city of Grozny, and almost lost control. We also know that the aircraft was rendered uncontrollable by means of electronic warfare. This was the first instance of damage to the aircraft. Additionally, as a result of ground fire, the tail section of the plane was severely damaged,” he added.