Baku Gets Russia To Recognize Shelling Of Azerbaijani Plane

• 15.04.2026, 17:35

One year and three months later.

Russia has agreed to pay compensation to the victims and relatives of those killed in the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane, which crashed near Aktau in Kazakhstan at the end of 2024. Azerbaijani edition Report writes about it with reference to the joint statement of the foreign ministries of both countries.

The statement notes that the issue of settling the consequences of the tragedy, in particular the payment of compensation, was agreed upon during the meeting of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Vladimir Putin on October 9, 2025.

The parties said that these steps indicate their intention to develop cooperation and maintain bilateral relations.

It was after that meeting that Vladimir Putin admitted for the first time that the plane was hit by Russian air defense.

At the same time, he claimed that the plane was damaged not by a direct hit from a missile, but by shrapnel after it exploded near the plane.

The Russian side also tried to partially shift responsibility by claiming the alleged presence of Ukrainian drones in Russian airspace during the incident.

The tragedy occurred on December 25, 2024. The Azerbaijan Airlines plane was on a flight from Baku to Grozny, but after several route changes went down near Kazakhstan's Aktau.

The crash killed 38 people.

At first, the Russian side claimed that the crash could have been caused by a collision with birds.