Azerbaijani official slams Russian political analyst’s disrespectful remarks toward President Aliyev  

Chairman of the Public Council under the Azerbaijani Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources Amin Mammadov has warned that if Russian political analyst Vladimir Karasev can insult a foreign leader without repercussions, he may soon do the same to Russia's leadership.

"This happened after Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev pointed out Russia's involvement in the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane over Grozny. If the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation considers this speech to be in line with its ethical standards, it becomes clear at what level it currently stands," Mammadov said, Caliber.Az reports. 

"Unfortunately, in modern Russia, it is becoming increasingly common for public figures and individuals with high social status to resort to rude and offensive rhetoric," he said.

"Previously, public figures in Russia served as examples of high culture and moral integrity, but unfortunately, these qualities seem to have been lost today. Presently, a person like Karasev, who has no cultural values, is commenting on the AZAL plane incident," he said. 

Earlier, Vladimir Karasev, a member of the Coordination Council under the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation and a political analyst, made offensive remarks about Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

Some 38 passengers out of 67 people on board were killed, while 29 survived when Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8432 crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on December 25, 2024. The crash occurred after a missile strike caused significant mid-flight damage.

Azerbaijani government sources confirmed that a Russian surface-to-air missile, fired during drone activity above Grozny, struck the plane. Shrapnel from the explosion hit passengers and crew members.

Despite pilots' requests for an emergency landing, Russian authorities denied access to nearby airports, directing the damaged aircraft towards Aktau.

During the flight, the plane's GPS navigation systems were reportedly jammed. The missile was fired from a Pantsir-S air defence system, with Russian forces targeting Ukrainian drones over Chechnya at that time. 

By Naila Huseynova