The news that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has decided to apologize to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev after the AZAL airline crash shocked many. However, foreign experts warn that this is not the end of the story.
Points of attention
- Putin's apology is not sincere, because he does not want to admit Russia's guilt.
- The dictator plans to blame the tragedy on Ukraine, trying to avoid responsibility.
- Preliminary analysis of the causes of the crash indicates external influence and shelling of the aircraft.
Putin fears losing another important ally
Journalists point out that in the quarter century that Putin has been in power, he has almost never officially apologized for anything.
However, the situation with Russia's shooting down of an Azerbaijani plane has driven the dictator into a dead end.
Despite the fact that he still has not admitted Russia's guilt in this tragedy, he nevertheless asked Aliyev for forgiveness.
In fact, Putin realized that the Russian lie about the birds allegedly causing the disaster would not convince his colleague.
The Azerbaijani president is demanding that Russia take responsibility. Aliyev is not going to be humiliated, because Azerbaijan is the most important partner in laundering Russian gas, which he buys and exports to Europe "as his own."
Against this background, in order not to lose an important ally, Putin decided to fulfill some of Aliyev's conditions, primarily regarding an official apology.
Despite this, journalists warn, the Russian dictator will still try to shift all the blame onto Ukraine, which was in no way involved in the disaster.
Azerbaijani authorities have named the preliminary cause of the plane crash
Azerbaijan Airlines and Azerbaijan's Minister of Digital Development and Transport Rashad Nabiyev have called "external influence" the preliminary cause of the plane crash in Kazakhstan.
According to the injured passengers and flight attendants, they heard the sounds of explosions as the plane flew over Grozny.
In addition, it is indicated that traces of holes were found on the wing, and inside the fuselage — damage from various cutting objects.
Ilham Aliyev himself emphasized that the indicated damage affected the aircraft's controllability.
What is also important to understand is that the tail section of the plane was severely damaged by shelling from the ground.
It is surprising and saddening that Russian officials are trying to cover up the situation by putting forward versions of a gas cylinder explosion. Such behavior only complicates the situation and does not contribute to establishing the truth.
Ilham Aliyev
President of Azerbaijan
