Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe and broke the news: Russia will cover damages for the tragic crash of an Azerbaijani passenger jet last December. 💥✈️
According to Putin, fragments from two of Russia’s detonated air-defense missiles may have struck the Embraer 190, which went down near Aktau with 67 people on board. Black box data show the pilot was advised to make an emergency landing in Makhachkala after a suspected bird strike, but chose to head back toward his home base and then to Kazakhstan.
“Naturally, the Russian side will do everything that must be done in these tragic circumstances, including compensation payments and a legal assessment of the actions of all officials involved,” Putin said, pointing to possible technical malfunctions and three Ukrainian drones being tracked along the border at the time.
Aliyev thanked Putin for overseeing the probe personally and stressed that the investigation would be “objective.” On December 25, 2024, Flight J2-8243 from Baku to Grozny crashed, leaving 38 people dead and prompting questions about the safety of mixed civilian and defense operations near busy corridors.
As families await answers, the promise of compensation offers a small measure of relief—and a reminder of the complex intersection between defense systems and civilian aviation. 🕵️♂️🤝
Reference(s):
Putin says Russia will pay compensation over Azerbaijani jet crash
cgtn.com
