Putin Discusses AZAL Crash Details with Aliyev

On October 9, in the capital of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, the long-awaited meeting between Russian President Putin and Azerbaijani President Aliyev took place. This was the first full-fledged meeting of the leaders of the two countries after a long pause, during which problematic issues that had accumulated in bilateral relations were discussed, and one of the key topics, in the public part of the meeting, became the recent tragic crash of the Azerbaijani AZAL airline's plane. At the beginning of the meeting, Vladimir Putin proposed to start the discussion precisely with the circumstances of the plane crash, presenting the Russian side's version. According to him, the tragedy, among other circumstances, was related to the fact that a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle was in Russian airspace at that moment. Putin detailed that on the day of the tragedy, Russian air defense systems had "escorted" three Ukrainian UAVs that had crossed the Russian border.

The Russian president clarified that the two missiles fired by the Russian air defense system did not directly hit the AZAL plane but exploded a few meters away from it. "The plane was damaged not by the warhead's striking elements, but most likely by shrapnel," he emphasized. Putin also stated that the aircraft crew was offered to land in Makhachkala, but they decided to continue the flight to their main airport.

Vladimir Putin, who, according to him, had been informed about the causes of the disaster two days before the meeting, reminded Aliyev that he had apologized to him in a telephone conversation immediately after the tragedy. He once again expressed condolences to the families of the victims and assured that Russia is providing full support to the investigation.

"In this regard, compensation will be paid, and the culprits will be punished," Putin promised, adding that a legal assessment will be given to the actions of all officials in connection with the incident. He noted that more time is needed for a final conclusion.

In addition to discussing the plane crash, Putin noted that Russia will do everything to maintain the dynamics of the development of relations with Azerbaijan, highly appreciating Aliyev's contribution to the strengthening of humanitarian ties. Ilham Aliyev, in turn, congratulated Putin on his birthday, sending good wishes to him and the friendly people of Russia. "Relations between Russia and Azerbaijan have successfully developed this year," Aliyev stated during the meeting with Putin. He added that all roadmaps between Russia and Azerbaijan are being successfully implemented, and described the agenda between the countries as extensive and positive.

It should be noted that before this full-fledged meeting, Putin and Aliyev had briefly seen each other in September in China during the SCO summit. And the reason for the Moscow-Baku confrontation is not only the tragic incident with the plane but also the numerous scandalous revelations related to Azerbaijanis in Russia, and partly also Azerbaijan's obvious, and sometimes provocative, anti-Russian behavior during the Ukrainian war.