Azerbaijan NGOs slam Russia for closing AZAL crash probe
The National Forum of NGOs of Azerbaijan has described Russia’s decision to close its investigation into the December 25, 2024 crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft as “incomprehensible and unacceptable.”
In an open letter to Russian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Mikhail Yevdokimov, the forum said the Azerbaijani public expects Russia’s investigative authorities to identify and punish those responsible for the incident involving the AZAL Embraer 190, News.Az reports, citing local media.
The forum said a statement by Alexander Bastrykin, chairman of Russia’s Investigative Committee, claiming that the aircraft was unable to land in Grozny due to unfavorable weather conditions amounts to an attempt to leave the tragedy unpunished. “The Azerbaijani public meets this with deep indignation and rejects such an interpretation,” the letter said.
“The bloody incident that Alexander Bastrykin is trying to hush up is a matter of honor for the Azerbaijani people. We will not remain silent,” the forum said, adding that Russia must acknowledge responsibility, hold those involved criminally liable, and pay compensation to the Azerbaijani state, injured passengers, and crew members. “This is what international practice and generally accepted ethical norms require,” it said.
The forum also stated that the attack on the AZAL aircraft in Russian airspace constitutes a gross violation of the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, and that Bastrykin’s letter directly contradicts its provisions. “This tragedy must not be hushed up — on the contrary, every measure must be taken to conduct a comprehensive investigation into how and why the aircraft was shot down,” the letter said.
It added that Bastrykin’s decision to terminate the criminal investigation diverges from the position voiced by Russian President Vladimir Putin and amounts to a legal and political provocation aimed at evading responsibility. During a meeting with President Ilham Aliyev in Dushanbe on October 9, 2025, Putin acknowledged technical malfunctions in Russia’s air defense system and said Moscow would do everything necessary to pay compensation and give a legal assessment to the actions of all officials involved.
“Mr. Ambassador, answer us: who expresses Russia’s official position on this issue — President Vladimir Putin or Chairman of the Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin?” the forum said, adding that it expects Yevdokimov to receive members of the forum’s board and respond to their concerns.
In a recent letter to Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General Kamran Aliyev, Bastrykin confirmed the termination of the criminal case and attributed the crash to adverse weather conditions, without mentioning any external impact or weapons fire. Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has confirmed receiving such a letter, noting that it raises many questions and contradicts Putin’s earlier public statements.
The AZAL Embraer 190 crashed on December 25, 2024, after being damaged while approaching Grozny. Azerbaijani officials and preliminary investigative reports said the aircraft was struck by fragments of a Russian air defense missile, forcing the crew to divert to Aktau, Kazakhstan, where the plane crash-landed. Thirty-eight of the 67 people on board were killed. Survivors reported hearing explosions in midair, and investigators documented external damage and metal fragments consistent with missile impact. Russian President Vladimir Putin later acknowledged that debris from Russian air defense systems caused the damage, though Russia’s formal investigative position has remained contested.
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