Baku: An Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane was shot down and crashed in Grozny as a result of the irresponsibility of the Russian Air Defense Forces and their lack of coordination with civil aviation, said Azer Badamov, the MP of Milli Majlis (Azerbaijani Parliament), APA reports.
According to Azeri-Press News Agency, the MP stated that Kazakhstan’s initial report was prepared transparently and clearly outlined the reasons for the accident. The report detailed that on December 25, 2024, an AZAL aircraft operating a regular flight from Baku to Grozny on flight J2-8243, was in an airworthy condition and experienced a loss of GPS signals while conducting flight operations over Grozny airport. After the aircraft failed to land on a second attempt due to unfavorable weather, the captain opted to return to Baku. Following this decision, two extraneous noises were recorded on the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) over Grozny, 24 seconds apart. The failure of the aircraft’s hydraulic systems followed these noises. The plane’s fuselage and components suffered numerous damages, and foreign objects not belonging to the aircraft were found and documented in the report. Further examinations are planned to ascertain the identity of these objects. Notably, some Russian representatives and media initially
claimed that the crash resulted from a collision with a flock of birds or an oxygen cylinder explosion.
On the day of the crash, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, en route to St. Petersburg for the CIS Summit, returned to Baku upon receiving news of the incident. He conducted a meeting at Heydar Aliyev International Airport and emphasized the need for a thorough investigation. In a subsequent interview, President Aliyev mentioned that the aircraft had sustained external damage and nearly lost control in Russian territory near Grozny. He suggested that electronic warfare means rendered the aircraft uncontrollable and that gunfire from the ground severely damaged the tail section. The preliminary report corroborated the president’s statements.
Azer Badamov highlighted that President Aliyev noted the declaration of the Kovyor operation after the external influence on the AZAL aircraft. The preliminary report confirmed that information about the Kovyor operation was communicated to Grozny’s civilian aviation 8 minutes after the aircraft was hit. Badamov asserted that the full responsibility for the crash lies with the relevant Russian state authorities.
Badamov also mentioned that Russia’s leadership is awaiting the final report from the relevant commission. He expressed belief that Russia will assume responsibility for the crash and take appropriate actions in line with international standards. He emphasized that the aircraft crash should not affect the developed relations between the neighboring and allied countries, which should continue to be based on mutual respect and sincerity.