Russia Attempts to Mend Ties with Azerbaijan Strained After AZAL Aircraft Crash

Russia has recently been taking constructive steps to repair relations with Azerbaijan following the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) aircraft crash.

Following the emergency landing of AZAL's Embraer 190 plane on the Baku-Grozny route on December 25, 2024, differing explanations emerged regarding the cause of the incident. Moscow initially attributed it to an alleged bird strike, while Baku maintained that it was caused by a shooting.

After two unsuccessful landing attempts at Grozny Airport in the Chechen Republic of Russia, the aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing near Aktau, Kazakhstan, where it tragically crashed, resulting in fatalities. Sixty-seven people were on board, including five crew. Thirty-eight passengers, including three crew, died, while 29 survived. AZAL reported physical and technical external interference behind the incident. President Ilham Aliyev reaffirmed that this interference occurred in Russia's airspace.

Although President Vladimir Putin offered a general apology for the incident in Russian airspace, Baku has demanded that Russia acknowledge its responsibility, identify and punish those responsible, and provide compensation to the affected parties.

In February, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov awarded the crew members of the AZAL passenger plane with the "For Services to the Chechen Republic" medals.

The authorities of Azerbaijan deem the stance demonstrated by the Chechen leadership as acceptable, Trend reported, citing sources within the Azerbaijani government. The decision to honor certain individuals following the crash initially sparked public outrage in Azerbaijan. However, based on investigations and reliable information, Baku confirmed that the Chechen leadership had no involvement or responsibility in the incident, Trend sources said.

According to the investigation findings, Russian military forces shot the AZAL aircraft causing an emergency crash landing near Aktau, Kazakhstan.

"Although delayed, Chechnya's response to this issue is deemed acceptable," sources stated.

Meanwhile, last month, Russia's "AlfaInsurance" company made a full insurance payment for AZAL's crashed aircraft.

This was reported by Ilya Kabanchik, Deputy CEO for aviation and space insurance at the company, to "Interfax.

"Both the aircraft and the carrier's liability to passengers were insured with 'AlfaInsurance.' The main portion of the risk was transferred to reinsurance with the 'Russian National Reinsurance Company.' The full insurance payment was made in February," he stated.

However, Kabahchik did not disclose the amount of the compensation.

"Although the investigation of the crash is ongoing, we have enough information to organize the payments. For us, as the insurer, the fact of the aircraft's destruction is crucial. Since war and terrorism risks were also insured, the airline receives compensation in any case," he noted.

In February, Kazakhstan’s Transport Ministry released a preliminary report on the investigation into the crash of an Embraer 190 aircraft.

According to the report, on December 25, 2024, the aircraft made two unsuccessful landing attempts at Grozny Airport in Russia, leading the flight crew to decide on returning to Baku.

During the flight over Grozny, data recovered from the black box recorded a sonic boom, followed by alerts indicating the shutdown of the autopilot and automatic regulator. This led to a failure of the aircraft’s primary control system.

“Hydraulic System 3 pressure dropped to zero, and its fluid level decreased to 0%. The flight control surfaces became locked in a neutral position and remained in that state until the crash. A trim system failure was detected. Cabin depressurization occurred, triggering an emergency alarm. Hydraulic System 1 pressure dropped to zero, and its fluid level also fell to 0%,” the report states.

The witnesses, including injured passengers, and surviving flight attendants reported hearing explosion sounds over Grozny, with one flight attendant sustaining arm injuries and another passenger wounded in the arm and leg. Russian nationals on board also corroborated hearing three explosions and reported that the sound appeared to originate externally, followed by impacts on the aircraft.

According to the report, the crew then decided to proceed with an emergency landing at Aktau Airport, the designated alternative airfield.

The report further states that the Investigation Commission, which includes authorized representatives from the law enforcement agencies of Brazil, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan, recovered numerous foreign objects from heavily damaged sections of the aircraft.

A preliminary inspection of the wreckage revealed multiple non-penetrative and open structural damages in the rear fuselage, vertical stabilizer, horizontal stabilizer, elevator, and rudder. Similar damage was observed on the left engine and left wing. Some areas of the aircraft’s units and components exhibited rectangular-shaped damage patterns. A visual inspection of the perforations indicated that some impacts created complete holes, photographs of which have been included in the preliminary report.

The commission confirmed that further examinations and expert analyses are underway to determine the nature and origin of the perforations caused by external objects.