Russia agrees to pay compensation over downed Azerbaijani airliner

Prefer on Google by Martin Fornusek A view of the crash site where an Azerbaijan Airlines plane with 67 people on board, traveling from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny in Russia's Chechen Republic crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan, on Dec. 25, 2024. (Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan/Anadolu via Getty Images) Russia agreed to pay damages over the downing of the Azerbaijani airliner in 2024 that killed 38 people, according to a joint statement by the two countries on April 15. The Azerbaijan Airlines plane, traveling from Baku to Grozny in Chechnya, crashed in Kazakhstan on Dec. 25, 2024, after being damaged by Russian air defense fire. The crash was the result of an "unintentional strike by an air defense system in the airspace of the Russian Federation," the statement by the Russian and Azerbaijani foreign ministries said. "The parties have agreed on an appropriate settlement of the consequences, including the payment of compensation." The fatal incident strained relations between Moscow and Baku, traditionally close partners. Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged Russia's responsibility only in October 2025 and pledged a legal assessment of the steps taken by officials involved in the incident. The Kremlin claimed that Russian forces were "tracking" three Ukrainian drones that crossed into Russian airspace on that day. "The steps undertaken confirm the mutual intention to build further mutually beneficial cooperation within the framework of allied interaction," the joint statement read.