Passenger Plane Shot Down Accidentally from Russia

On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to Aliyev over the tragedy involving Azerbaijan Airlines Flight J2-8243, which crashed after being struck by Russian air defense systems while responding to Ukrainian drones. However, a Kremlin statement did not explicitly confirm that the plane was shot down, only mentioning that a criminal investigation had been launched.

"Our plane was accidentally shot down," Aliyev said in an address on Azerbaijani state television. He explained that the aircraft had experienced some form of electronic jamming before being struck as it approached Grozny, a city in southern Russia. Despite the crash, 29 survivors managed to escape due to the heroic actions of the pilots, who were lauded in Azerbaijan for their efforts in executing an emergency landing.

Aliyev criticized initial reports from Russia, which claimed the crash was caused by a bird strike or an explosion of a gas cylinder. He dismissed these explanations as "absurd" and accused Russian authorities of attempting to cover up the incident.

The Azerbaijani leader called for Russia to admit responsibility for the downing of the plane and hold those accountable. Both leaders, Aliyev and Putin, held a phone call on Sunday, though the Kremlin did not release further details. However, on Saturday, the Kremlin announced that both civilian and military experts were being questioned as part of the investigation.

Meanwhile, Alexander Bastrykin, head of Russia’s Investigative Committee, reassured Azerbaijan's prosecutor general that top specialists were working on the case to determine the cause and circumstances of the crash.

The plane, an Embraer E190, crashed on Wednesday near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan after diverting from its flight path due to Ukrainian drone attacks on southern Russia. Russia’s state-owned TASS agency quoted Kazakhstan's Transport Ministry as saying the black box flight recorders would be sent to Brazil for further analysis, where the aircraft was manufactured.

The apology issued by Putin on Saturday is the closest Russia has come to accepting any responsibility for the disaster. Sources close to Azerbaijan’s investigation told Reuters that the preliminary findings indicated that Russian air defenses had mistakenly shot down the plane.

Burial and Tributes:

Azerbaijan held a solemn ceremony on Sunday to honor the victims of the crash, especially the pilots and crew. Captain Igor Kshnyakin, Co-pilot Alexander Kalyaninov, both ethnic Russians with Azerbaijani citizenship, and flight attendant Hokuma Aliyeva were given full honors at the Alley of Honour in Baku, attended by President Aliyev and his wife, Mehriban.

"The pilots knew they would not survive the crash landing, but they acted with immense bravery to save the passengers," Aliyev said, acknowledging their heroic actions. He posthumously awarded them the titles of National Heroes of Azerbaijan.

Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also recognized the efforts of those who helped rescue the survivors, including emergency workers, medics, and local authorities.

The Embraer jet had been traveling from Baku to Grozny when it veered off course and flew across the Caspian Sea. Despite sustaining damage, including holes in the fuselage and a de-pressurized cabin, the pilots struggled to control the plane and eventually crash-landed in Kazakhstan.

The Alley of Honour, where the ceremony took place, is Azerbaijan's most revered burial site, housing the graves of notable figures, including Heydar Aliyev, the father of the current president.

Captain Kshnyakin's daughter, Anastasia Kshnyakina, remembered her father as a dedicated pilot who always put his passengers' safety first. "My father always said that when he took off, he was responsible for not just his life but also for everyone on board. With his last flight, he proved what a true hero should be," she said.