Russia’s Ties to Ally Fraying After Lethal Azerbaijani Airplane Crash

• The lethal Azerbaijani airplane crash on Christmas Day is souring Russia’s try and preserve Baku shut.
• Azerbaijani chief Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly stated Russia shot down the airplane, and is demanding solutions.
• Putin apologized, however Aliyev continues to be pressuring Russia and says it should take accountability.

Azerbaijan’s president has repeatedly accused Russia of masking up the reason for a airplane crash that killed 38 passengers on Christmas Day, publicly criticizing Moscow once more on Monday.

“The preliminary investigation and its outcomes have been reported to me, however I can say with full certainty that the blame for the deaths of Azerbaijani residents on this catastrophe lies with representatives of the Russian Federation,” Ilham Aliyev stated in remarks to state information company Azertac.

“And we demand justice, we demand punishment of the responsible, we demand full transparency and human conduct,” stated Aliyev, who spoke simply after assembly households of the crash victims.

His feedback mark a sudden and quickly deepening level of pressure between Azerbaijan and Russia because the latter has tried to keep up ties because the outbreak of full conflict in Ukraine. Whereas Baku and Moscow aren’t shut allies within the conventional sense, Russia provides arms to Azerbaijan and has sought to be the principle mediator for its bitter battle with Armenia.

Russian chief Vladimir Putin visited Aliyev in August for 2 days, and the pair have been photographed chatting of their work shirts on sofas in Aliyev’s residence, alongside the First Woman of Azerbaijan.

The tone of their relations has shifted dramatically because the crash.

Aliyev has repeatedly stated that preliminary investigations confirmed the Azerbaijan Airways flight was shot down by Russian air protection programs, saying it was “riddled with holes” and affected by digital warfare. The airplane was flying to the Chechen metropolis of Grozny and made its emergency touchdown in Kazakhstan.

“If well timed measures had been taken to shut the Russian airspace close to the town of Grozny, if all the principles of floor providers had been noticed, in addition to correct coordination between the armed forces of the Russian Federation and civilian providers, this tragedy wouldn’t have occurred,” Aliyev stated on Monday.

Notably, Aliyev selected to talk in Russian as a substitute of Azerbaijani, which he stated was to honor the flight’s two deceased pilots, who spoke Russian.

The Azerbaijani president stated that Baku wasn’t alleging Russia shot down the airplane deliberately however accused Russian officers of not investigating the crash correctly.

“The quilt-up of this incident by Russian state companies and the concentrate on absurd theories causes shock, remorse, and rightful indignation,” he stated.

Russia’s federal transport company had initially stated the Azerbaijani Airways flight was struck by birds, then blamed Ukrainian drones and fog for forcing the airplane out of Grozny airspace.

The US, alternatively, has stated that it had seen “early indications” that the Azerbaijani Airways flight was probably “introduced down by Russian air protection programs.”

In the meantime, Putin’s press workplace issued an apology on December 28 with out taking accountability for the crash.

“Vladimir Putin supplied his apologies that the tragic incident had occurred in Russia’s airspace and as soon as once more conveyed his deep and honest condolences to the households of the airplane crash victims and wished these injured the quickest restoration,” its assertion stated.

However Aliyev is refusing to lighten the strain on Russia, saying that Putin’s apology was “not sufficient” and that Moscow “should acknowledge its guilt” and punish these accountable.

He added on Monday that investigators have been uncovering inconsistencies in Russia’s airspace laws that he stated pointed to “severe prison points right here.”

The now-widening rift between Moscow and Baku comes as Azerbaijan has sought to cut back Russian affect on regional issues, particularly when coping with its archrival, Armenia.

For instance, Russia had stationed peacekeepers within the contested area of Nagorno-Karabakh till September 2023, when Azerbaijan seized the realm and flushed out Moscow’s forces. Some pro-Kremlin commentators in Russia have additionally stated that Azerbaijani volunteers are showing amongst Ukraine’s ranks.

However Russia has responded comparatively tamely, because it seeks extra ex-Soviet allies to take care of its rising isolation from Western sanctions and the conflict in Ukraine.

“I want to notice from the beginning that our relationship is growing in a constructive approach,” Putin stated in October when internet hosting Aliyev in Moscow, referencing Russian investments within the Azerbaijani economic system.

Per Azertac, Aliyev responded and stated that “the dynamics of our bilateral relations have been fairly noticeable.”