Azerbaijani NGOs demand clarity from Russia over AZAL plane tragedy

The National NGO Forum of Azerbaijan has sent an open letter to the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Azerbaijan, Mikhail Yevdokimov.

According to APA, the letter states:

“We, the representatives of the National NGO Forum of Azerbaijan, which brings together hundreds of Azerbaijani NGOs, are writing to you regarding a letter from the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, Alexander Bastrykin, addressed to the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan concerning the AZAL plane incident.

While Azerbaijani society expects Russian investigative authorities to identify those responsible for the AZAL plane incident — when the aircraft was shot down over Grozny on December 25, 2024, by missiles fired from a Pantsir-S1 surface-to-air system — and to impose the harshest penalties, Alexander Bastrykin’s statement to close the criminal case is both perplexing and unacceptable.

The claim that the aircraft allegedly failed to land in Grozny due to adverse weather conditions, alongside the disregard of all photo and video evidence, represents an attempt to leave the tragedy — which caused injuries and the deaths of innocent people — unpunished, and effectively encourages those who opened fire on the plane. Azerbaijani society receives this with deep indignation and rejects such an interpretation.

The bloody incident that Alexander Bastrykin seeks to cover up is a matter of honour for the Azerbaijani people. We will not remain silent. If the Russian side believes that an apology to Azerbaijan resolves the matter, it is fundamentally mistaken.

The fact of this blood crime must be recognised, every person responsible must face criminal liability, and the Azerbaijani state, as well as the affected passengers and crew, must be compensated. This is what international practice and generally accepted ethical standards demand.

The attack on a civilian aircraft and the fact that it was shot down constitute a gross violation of the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation. Bastrykin’s letter directly contradicts the provisions of this Convention, particularly Annexe 13 on 'Investigation of Accidents and Incidents in Civil Aviation.' This tragedy cannot be silenced; all necessary measures must be taken to conduct a comprehensive investigation into how and why the plane was shot down.

The content of Alexander Bastrykin’s letter clearly diverges from the position stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin on this issue and is effectively a legal and political provocation designed to evade responsibility.

On October 9, 2025, in Dushanbe, Vladimir Putin acknowledged technical faults in Russia’s air defence system, which led to the AZAL aircraft being shot down, and stated that the Russian side would take all necessary measures to provide compensation as required in such tragic situations, and that the actions of all officials would be legally assessed.

Ambassador, we ask: who represents the official position of Russia on this matter — President Vladimir Putin or Investigative Committee Chairman Alexander Bastrykin?

We expect you to meet with the board members of the National NGO Forum of Azerbaijan and to respond to our question.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev