Azerbaijani civil society condemns closure of AZAL aircraft investigation

The Azerbaijan National NGO Forum has sent an open letter to Russia’s ambassador to Azerbaijan, Mikhail Yevdokimov.

APA reports that the letter relates to correspondence from Alexander Bastrykin, chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, addressed to Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General concerning the AZAL aircraft incident, which has been made public in the media.

"We - the Azerbaijan National NGO Forum, which brings together hundreds of Azerbaijani non-governmental organisations - are addressing you in connection with the letter from Alexander Bastrykin, chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, to the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan regarding the AZAL aircraft incident, which has been publicised in the media.

At a time when Azerbaijani society expects Russia’s investigative authorities to identify those responsible for the AZAL aircraft that was struck by missiles fired from a Pantsir-S1 air-defence system in the skies over Grozny on 25 December 2024 and to impose the severest punishment on them, Alexander Bastrykin’s announcement that the criminal case has been closed is incomprehensible and unacceptable.

Disregarding photographic evidence and video footage, and claiming that the aircraft was allegedly unable to land in Grozny due to adverse weather conditions, amounts to trampling on the memory of innocent people who were killed or injured in the incident and applauding those who opened fire on them. Azerbaijani society responds to this with deep outrage and rejects it.

The bloody incident that Bastrykin is attempting to cover up is a matter of national honour for the Azerbaijani people. We will not remain silent. If the Russian side believes that apologising to Azerbaijan is sufficient to close the matter, it is profoundly mistaken.

The crime in question must be acknowledged, every perpetrator must be held criminally accountable, and compensation must be paid to the Azerbaijani state as well as to the affected passengers and crew members. International practice and basic human decency demand nothing less.

The shooting down of a civilian aircraft is prohibited under the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation. Bastrykin’s letter once again contradicts the Chicago Convention, in particular Annex 13, titled "Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation". This tragedy must not be covered up; on the contrary, all necessary measures must be taken to ensure a full investigation.

The substance of Alexander Bastrykin’s letter clearly differs from the position expressed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and, by effectively seeking to evade responsibility, constitutes a legal and political provocation.

On 9 October 2025 in Dushanbe, Vladimir Putin acknowledged that there had been technical malfunctions in Russia’s air-defence system in connection with the shooting down of the AZAL aircraft and stated that, as required in such tragic circumstances, Russia would do everything necessary regarding compensation and would provide a legal assessment of the actions of all officials involved.

Ambassador, we ask you to respond: who represents Russia’s official position on this matter — President Vladimir Putin or the chairman of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin?

We expect you to receive the board of the Azerbaijan National NGO Forum and to respond to our question," the letter states.

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