A morning that wasn’t meant to be A year after the strike, with no accountability

December 25, 2024. Morning. In Azerbaijan, the final days before the New Year were unfolding in their familiar December rhythm — quiet, expectant, unhurried. Nothing seemed out of place. Nothing hinted that this day would be remembered forever.

And yet, at that very moment, tragedy was already unfolding. At first, there were only scattered reports. Short messages, seemingly insignificant. Then — videos. Uneven, hastily recorded. A plane… Gradually, the horrifying reality began to take shape. What had happened could no longer be undone. Too soon to fully comprehend. Too sudden to believe.

A passenger Embraer 190 of Azerbaijan Airlines had been struck in the sky over Grozny. The aircraft suffered an external hit. Later footage would confirm the damage — the fuselage scarred with multiple, unmistakable marks left by projectiles. But on that morning of December 25, no one yet knew the technical terminology. People simply stared at their screens, hoping someone would say: “Everything is fine.”

It never came.

The plane was already wounded. Depressurised. Structurally compromised. In the cockpit, the crew understood there was no turning back. Onboard were passengers — children, the elderly, the injured. And yet, a choice remained: to keep going, all the way, to the ground, to a chance.

That chance was Aktau.

The landing was emergency, difficult, and precarious. But it happened. Twenty-nine lives were saved because the crew did not falter — they did not give in to panic. They fought to keep the riddled aircraft under control until the very end.

There were 67 people on board. Three of them — crew members — never returned home.

Igor Kshnyakin. Aleksandr Kalyaninov. Hokuma Aliyeva. Their names are now spoken differently in Azerbaijan because they stayed in the sky until the very end. Because when the plane was already doomed, they continued to do their duty.

In the days that followed, statements came — contradictory, sometimes absurd, often defying basic logic. We have addressed them more than once. Only in October, months after the tragedy, did the Russian side, at the highest level, speak of an intention to investigate, punish those responsible, and “put an end to it.” These promises were made publicly, recorded, and quoted. More than two months have passed since then. But the end has not come. Names have not been officially revealed. Responsibility has not been assigned. And the most important question remains unanswered: how did a civilian plane end up under anti-aircraft fire — and why has no one been held accountable?

Every New Year begins with hope. But for the families of the victims, this year began with silence. With empty seats at the table. With a morning that was never meant to be.

May God have mercy on all who did not return.