AZAL plane crash near Aktau: Russia and Azerbaijan issue joint statement

Tengrinews.kz — Russia and Azerbaijan have settled the issue surrounding the crash of an AZAL airline plane near Aktau in December 2024.

The foreign ministries of the two countries issued a joint statement saying that, in accordance with the agreements reached by the presidents of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan in Dushanbe on October 9, 2025, the parties arrived at an appropriate settlement of the consequences of the Embraer 190 crash, including the issue of compensation payments.

The statement also says that the cause of the AZAL aircraft crash was “unintentional actions of the air defense system in the airspace of the Russian Federation.”

“The steps taken confirm the mutual desire to further build mutually beneficial cooperation within the framework of allied interaction. We are confident that the progressive development of Russian-Azerbaijani ties on the basis of mutual respect, trust, and consideration of the interests of both sides will continue to strengthen good-neighborly relations and expand cooperation in the interests of the peoples of the two states,” the joint statement says.

The parties once again expressed deep condolences to the families and loved ones of those who died in the plane crash and to everyone affected by the tragedy.

Context

On December 25, 2024, a passenger plane operating the Baku–Grozny flight crashed near Aktau. As a result of the air accident, 38 people were killed, including 3 crew members, while 29 people sustained injuries of varying severity. More details can be found in the article: Tragedy not forgotten: one year after the plane crash near Aktau.

In December of last year, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport released an interim report on the progress of the investigation into the Embraer 190 air accident.