President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky expressed condolences to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the Azerbaijani people over the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash.
Points of attention
- President Zelenskyy expresses condolences over the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash while also highlighting evidence suggesting Russia's responsibility.
- Photos and videos from the crash site indicate Russia's role in the tragedy, drawing comparisons to the MH17 incident and the call for international pressure on Moscow for truth and justice.
- Reports suggest the Azerbaijan Airlines plane was shot down by a Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense system, raising serious concerns about Russia's involvement in the crash.
- The tragic event near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan has led to increased scrutiny on Russia's actions and the need for a thorough investigation to hold those responsible accountable.
- As more details emerge, the call for transparency and accountability in the wake of this disaster becomes even more crucial for ensuring justice for the victims and their families.
Photos and videos eloquently testify to Russia's responsibility — Zelenskyy
The President wrote about this on the social network X.
More and more details are emerging about the horrific crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines flight. My condolences to the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the Azerbaijani people. Every human life is precious, and every loss of life deserves a thorough investigation to establish the truth.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine
He emphasized that photo and video footage from the crash site indicates Russia's involvement in the tragedy.
З’являється дедалі більше подробиць жахливої катастрофи рейсу «Азербайджанських авіаліній». Мої співчуття Президенту Азербайджану Ільхаму Алієву та азербайджанському народові.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 27, 2024
Кожне людське життя є цінним, і кожна втрата життя заслуговує на ретельне розслідування заради…
According to the President, if Russia continues to spread lies, as was the case with the downing of MH17, it will be necessary to consolidate international pressure on Moscow to establish the truth and bring those responsible to justice.
As a reminder, the Embraer passenger plane, operating flight J2-8243, crashed on December 25 near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan. The Embraer was flying from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to Grozny, in southern Chechnya, and then deviated from its course hundreds of kilometers over the Caspian Sea. It crashed on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea. The nearest Russian airport in the plane's flight path, Makhachkala, was closed.
38 of the 67 people on board the plane died.
Budanov stated about Russia's involvement in the plane crash in Kazakhstan
The Embraer 190 passenger plane of Azerbaijan Airlines, which crashed near the city of Aktau (Kazakhstan), was shot down by a Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense system.
This was reported by the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Kirill Budanov, in a comment for The War Zone.
As far as we know, the plane (Azerbaijan Airlines — ed.) was shot down by a Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense system on Russian territory.
Kirill Budanov
Head of the GUR
On December 26, a number of media outlets, including Reuters, citing informed sources with preliminary findings from the Azerbaijani investigation into the crash, reported that the plane was shot down by the Russian Pantsir-S air defense system.
