Closure of AZAL crash case in Russia raises serious questions
Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said that the termination of the criminal case over the AZAL plane crash by the Russian Investigative Committee raises serious questions in Baku. He said this on 26 December during a final briefing, commenting on the letter sent by the Russian side following the investigation.
According to Bayramov, the letter stated that the case had already been closed, which came as a surprise to the Azerbaijani side. The relevant Azerbaijani authorities have sent an official response, and the Foreign Ministry expects Russia to fulfil its stated obligations in connection with the incident, in particular with regard to compensation and legal assessment of the actions of officials. It is reported by The Public with reference to Report.az.
It is about the crash of 25 December 2024. An Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190, operating flight J2 8243 Baku Grozny, crashed 3 km from Aktau in Kazakhstan. There were 67 people on board, 62 passengers and 5 crew members. 38 people died, 29 survived. Among the dead are the commander Igor Kshnyakin, co-pilot Alexander Kalyanin and flight attendant Khokyuma Aliyeva.
The report also mentions preliminary investigation data, according to which the plane could have been hit by a Russian air defence system while approaching Grozny, and the use of electronic warfare paralysed communication, after which the plane disappeared from radar in Russian airspace. Earlier, the Russian side publicly acknowledged the fact of the downing and announced the payment of compensation.
Photo: Report.az
