Azerbaijan Airlines Passenger Jet Crashes in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people
A passenger plane operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, flight J2-8243, crashed near the western Kazakh city of Aktau on December 25, 2024, resulting in the tragic loss of 38 lives. According to reports, the plane was damaged by shooting from the ground in Russia, and President Ilham Aliyev claimed that some Russian officials had initially lied about the cause of the disaster.
On Saturday, President Vladimir Putin issued a rare apology to Aliyev for the “tragic incident” that occurred in Russian airspace, following the engagement of Ukrainian attack drones. However, Putin did not admit to Russian air defenses having shot down the plane, saying only that a criminal case had been opened. Azerbaijani authorities have continued to investigate, and sources indicate that Russian air defenses had mistakenly shot down the plane.
On Sunday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev blamed Russia for shooting down the plane, stating that the plane was shot at after it was engaged by electronic jamming while approaching the southern Russian city of Grozny. Aliyev expressed his hope that Russia would accept responsibility and punish those accountable for the downing of the plane.
Funeral services for the pilots and passengers were held on Sunday in Azerbaijan, including Captain Igor Kshnyakin and co-pilot Alexander Kalyaninov, both ethnic Russians with Azerbaijani citizenship. The pilots have been hailed as heroes for attempting to save passengers in a doomed crash landing.
The Embraer passenger jet had taken off from Baku, Azerbaijan, bound for Grozny, Russia, but diverted to the Caspian Sea after it was damaged, ultimately crashing near the city of Aktau. The incident marks a rare admission of responsibility by Russian authorities in the wake of a major crisis.