Aliyev Reveals Details Of Azerbaijan's International Lawsuit Against Russia
8- 20.07.2025, 16:45
- 18,224

There were harsh statements against the Kremlin.
Azerbaijan will appeal to the International Court of Justice to hold Russia responsible for the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) passenger plane that collapsed after being hit in the skies above Grozny, the country's President Ilham Aliyev announced.
He explained that Baku has not received any response from Moscow, although seven months have already passed since the crash, which claimed 38 victims. "Our requests and demands are absolutely natural: to admit guilt for this incident, to punish those who shot down our plane, to pay compensation to the families of the dead, wounded and AZAL - for the loss of the airliner," Aliyev listed.
He said Azerbaijan's Prosecutor General regularly sends letters to Russia's Investigative Committee, "but all the answers boil down to the fact that the investigation continues." "Everything is clear to us: we know what happened and we can prove it. And we know that Russian officials also know what happened. The question arises: why don't they do what any neighbor would do?...? I think that such behavior is counterproductive. And Azerbaijan will not leave it like that. We have informed the Russian side that we are preparing documents for submission to international courts on this issue," Aliyev said.
The President said that Azerbaijani investigators on arrival at the crash site studied the nature of damage to the plane. He said the fuselage was covered in holes and two people in the cabin had suffered shrapnel. "So the idea that it was a Ukrainian drone that allegedly hit the plane is absolutely ridiculous. There were two attacks on the plane. Imagine a Ukrainian drone flying, targeting an Azerbaijani airplane, hitting, falling, and then attacking again! These are fairy tales for kindergarten," he emphasized. Aliyev also pointed out that the airspace near Chechnya was closed already after the plane was hit.
The president added that the consideration of the lawsuit in the International Court of Justice will take time, but the republic is ready to wait as long as necessary for the sake of "restoring justice." "Unfortunately, the situation that is in the air now is not conducive to the development of bilateral relations between Russia and Azerbaijan," Aliyev summarized.
Embraer E190 of AZAL Airlines, traveling from Baku to Grozny, crashed on December 25. There were 67 people on board along with the crew. Only 29 survived. The plane was hit by an air defense system when it tried to land in Grozny, which was attacked by Ukrainian drones. After the damage to the board, the crew requested an emergency landing in neighboring Russian cities, but no airport gave permission. As a result, the airliner headed across the Caspian Sea to Kazakhstan and crashed near Aktau.