Russia and Azerbaijan have reached a compensation agreement nearly 16 months after a Russian missile mistakenly downed an Azerbaijani passenger jet, both countries said Wednesday.
The settlement appears to be part of efforts to resolve a diplomatic crisis that erupted in December 2024, when an Azerbaijan Airlines flight traveling from Baku to Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, was fired upon by Russian air defense.
The plane eventually crashed in western Kazakhstan, killing 38 of the 62 people on board.
In a joint statement, the Russian and Azerbaijani foreign ministries said Wednesday that they reached an “appropriate settlement, including the payment of compensation.”
The statement formally acknowledged that the crash was the result of an “unintentional strike by an air defense system in Russian airspace.”
Neither side disclosed the financial terms of the agreement.
Russia initially sought to deflect responsibility for the crash, drawing a sharp rebuke from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who accused the authorities in Moscow of trying to obfuscate and hush up the air disaster.
The diplomatic impasse began to break in October after Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Aliyev and acknowledged for the first time that a Russian missile was responsible for the deadly crash.
Following Putin’s admission, the Kremlin said Russia and Azerbaijan were working to “turn the page” in bilateral relations.
A technical investigation into the crash continues in Kazakhstan. Preliminary findings showed that the plane was struck by “elements of a warhead,” though the report stopped short of naming the specific origin of the fragments.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has designated The Moscow Times as an “undesirable” organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a “foreign agent.”
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work “discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership.” We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It’s quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you’re defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Continue
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.
×
Remind me next month
Thank you! Your reminder is set.
