Russia Admits to Downings Azerbaijani Passenger Jet Over Chechnya

The Russian government has officially acknowledged that its air defense system hit a passenger aircraft belonging to the Azerbaijani airline AZAL on December 25, 2024.

The incident resulted in a crash that killed 38 people. According to a joint statement from the foreign ministries of both nations, the strike on the airliner was "unintentional."

Both parties stated they have reached a "proper settlement of the consequences, including the issue of compensation payments," though specific details of the financial agreement were not made public.

The aircraft, an Embraer 190 traveling from Baku to Grozny, the capital of the Chechen Republic in southern Russia, was hit by a "Pantsir-S" system over Chechnya during its landing approach. Russian leader Vladimir Putin stated the plane was damaged while forces were repelling an attack by Ukrainian drones during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Following the damage, the crew requested an emergency landing in nearby Russian cities but did not receive permission. The plane eventually flew across the Caspian Sea toward Kazakhstan and crashed near the city of Aktau. There were 67 people on board, including 62 passengers and five crew members. Only 29 people survived the disaster.

Russian authorities initially denied any involvement in the crash. This led to a significant decline in relations with Azerbaijan. President Ilham Aliyev immediately blamed Moscow for the incident. He stated the aircraft "was rendered uncontrollable by electronic warfare means" and was hit by ground fire in Grozny.

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Aliyev expressed anger that Russia was attempting to "hush up the incident" and "insists on absurd versions" of the cause of the crash. He also threatened to take the case to the International Court.

Responsibility was effectively acknowledged nine months later in October 2025. During a meeting with the Azerbaijani president, Putin apologized for the crash and promised to punish those responsible. He claimed the crew was offered a landing spot in Makhachkala but chose to fly back to their home airport instead.

Azerbaijani investigative reporters uncovered the identities of several Russian military officers involved in the December 2024 shootdown of a civilian airliner near Grozny, shedding new light on a tragedy that claimed 38 lives.

The newly identified personnel were on active combat duty at the time a Pantsir-S1 surface-to-air missile was launched at Azerbaijan Airlines flight 8432.

The aircraft, an Embraer ERJ-190, was en route from Baku to Grozny when it was struck over Russian territory.

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