Russia to assess responsibility of officials over AZAL crash, says Putin UPDATED

16:40

A one-on-one meeting was held in Dushanbe between the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.

During the meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated:

“We met quite recently – briefly, true, but still – in Beijing. Before that, we had spoken several times by phone.

I would like to begin our meeting with the most sensitive topic – the aviation tragedy that occurred in our airspace. Even during our first phone conversation, I not only offered my apologies that the tragedy occurred in Russian airspace, but also expressed my deepest condolences to the families of the victims. I would like to repeat and reaffirm all of this, and say that we, without a doubt, as agreed, are providing all possible assistance to the investigation.

The investigation is concluding, and now it is possible to generally speak about the causes of this tragedy, this catastrophe. It is linked to several circumstances.

The first is that there was a Ukrainian drone in the sky. We were tracking three such drones that crossed the Russian Federation’s border during the night on the day of the tragedy.

The second cause lies in technical malfunctions of Russia’s air defence system itself. The two missiles that were fired did not hit the aircraft directly (if they had, it would have crashed on the spot) but exploded, possibly via self-destruction, a few metres away—around 10 metres or so. As a result, the aircraft was damaged, but primarily not by the warhead elements themselves, but most likely by fragments of the missiles. This is why the pilot perceived it as a collision with a flock of birds, which he reported to the Russian air traffic controllers, and this is all recorded in the so-called ‘black boxes.’ He was also advised—and this is clearly recorded in the black boxes—to make an emergency landing in Makhachkala, but he decided to return to his home airport, and then to Kazakhstan. Nevertheless, the fact remains.

I have now outlined to you the causes of the tragedy. All of this is documented following a careful analysis of the technical characteristics of the events, cross-checked to the exact seconds recorded in the so-called black boxes.

We also discussed this matter later. Without a doubt, everything required in such tragic cases will be done on the Russian side in terms of compensation, and a legal assessment will be given regarding the actions of all officials involved.

Of course, these words related to this tragedy, intended as moral support for the families, do not solve the main problem in such cases—the inability to bring back the people who lost their lives as a result of the tragedy.

But our duty, I repeat once again, and as we agreed from the very beginning, is to give an objective assessment of everything that happened and identify the true causes. This, of course, takes some time. To finally put a full stop on the matter will probably require a bit more time. But overall, I have outlined to you what I was briefed on literally on the eve of our meeting, yesterday and the day before. Honestly, even last night I called Moscow to check if there were any additional details. Almost everything I know, I have told you. This is the first part.

Second, I would like to note that despite this, our interests—mutual interests in many areas—are closely aligned. First and foremost, of course, this concerns trade and economic relations. Despite all the nuances connected to the tragedy I just mentioned, and some issues arising in relation to it, trade and economic ties have continued to develop successfully. Last year, we saw roughly a 6 per cent increase, and this year already over 16 per cent growth in trade turnover. This is a very good indicator.

Thanks to your attention to this matter, our humanitarian ties have always been maintained at a high level. We will discuss this further, of course. And we are, firstly, grateful to you for this, and secondly, we ourselves will do everything to ensure that this positive momentum continues.

Naturally, the situation in the region and the broader international arena—our foreign ministries have always worked very closely together. I hope this cooperation will not only be restored but will continue in the spirit of our relations and our alliance. We never forget this, and we remember the agreement that was signed not long ago. On our side, we will do everything necessary to implement all its key provisions.”

16:14

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the investigation into the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane crash is coming to an end, and it is now possible to speak generally about the causes of the tragedy, reports TASS.

16:05

Despite some nuances, Vladimir Putin emphasised during his meeting with Ilham Aliyev that trade and economic ties between Russia and Azerbaijan continue to develop.

Russia will do everything to ensure that the momentum in its relations with Azerbaijan is maintained, added Putin.

The Russian president also expressed hope that cooperation between the two countries will continue in the spirit of alliance.

15:52

The causes of the AZAL plane crash became clear after a thorough analysis of the incident, Vladimir Putin said during his meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, according to RIA Novosti.

Russia will give a legal assessment of the actions of all officials in connection with the crash of the AZAL aircraft, Putin pledged at the meeting that is taking place in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

The Russian leader also stated that Russia would do everything necessary regarding compensations related to the AZAL plane crash.

Putin noted that it would take time to fully conclude the situation surrounding the AZAL aircraft crash.

He said that he had been informed about the causes of the crash, which he shared with Aliyev, two days ago.

The Russian President also mentioned that before the meeting, he had checked whether there were any additional details regarding the investigation into the causes of the crash.

15:41

Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested to Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev to begin their meeting by discussing the situation surrounding the AZAL airline plane crash, TASS reports.

Putin recalled his apologies for the tragedy that occurred in the skies over Russia and once again expressed his deepest condolences to the families of those who perished in the crash.

According to him, Russia is providing full assistance to the investigation into the AZAL aircraft crash.

Putin linked the AZAL plane crash in part to the presence of a Ukrainian drone in the airspace.

He clarified that on the day of the AZAL aircraft tragedy, Russia had been “tracking” three Ukrainian drones that had crossed into Russian airspace.

Two missiles launched by Russia’s air defence system did not directly hit the AZAL aircraft but exploded several meters away, Putin added.

The AZAL aircraft crew was offered to land in Makhachkala, but they decided to continue toward their home airport, the Russian president said.

At this moment in Dushanbe, a one-on-one meeting is taking place between the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.

By Khagan Isayev