{"id":209128,"date":"2025-01-06T20:04:22","date_gmt":"2025-01-06T20:04:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/06\/azerbaijani-anger-over-plane-crash-grows-in-deepening-schism-with-russia\/"},"modified":"2025-01-06T20:04:22","modified_gmt":"2025-01-06T20:04:22","slug":"azerbaijani-anger-over-plane-crash-grows-in-deepening-schism-with-russia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/06\/azerbaijani-anger-over-plane-crash-grows-in-deepening-schism-with-russia\/","title":{"rendered":"Azerbaijani Anger Over Plane Crash Grows, in Deepening Schism With Russia"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1050\" height=\"550\" src=\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/06\/multimedia\/06azerbaijan-plane-1-fbtj\/06azerbaijan-plane-1-fbtj-facebookJumbo.jpg?resize=1050,550&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Azerbaijani Anger Over Plane Crash Grows, in Deepening Schism With Russia\" title=\"Azerbaijani Anger Over Plane Crash Grows, in Deepening Schism With Russia\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan on Monday excoriated Russia for trying to duck responsibility in the downing of an Azerbaijani passenger jet last month, doubling down on a rare confrontation with the Kremlin that has highlighted Russia\u2019s loss of influence in much of the former Soviet Union.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Meeting with the two surviving flight attendants and with relatives of the crew members who died in the crash, Mr. Aliyev said Russian efforts \u201cto hush up this incident\u201d caused \u201csurprise, regret and rightful indignation\u201d in Azerbaijan.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The preliminary investigation into <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/12\/25\/world\/asia\/kazakhstan-plane-crash.html\" title=\"\">the Dec. 25 crash<\/a> that killed 38 people made it clear, he said, that had the Russian military and civilian authorities coordinated properly, \u201cthis tragedy could have been prevented.\u201d He reiterated his assertion, which has been backed up by footage from the scene and Western assessments, that the plane crashed after being hit by Russian air defenses.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI can say with confidence that the blame for the fact that Azerbaijani citizens died in this disaster lies with representatives of the Russian Federation,\u201d Mr. Aliyev said. \u201cWe demand justice, we demand the punishment of the guilty, we demand complete transparency and decent behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In a departure from protocol, Mr. Aliyev made those televised comments in Russian, rather than in Azerbaijani; analysts described that decision as both a nod of respect to the Russian-speaking relatives of the deceased pilots, as well as a sign that Mr. Aliyev wanted to be heard in Moscow.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">While <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/12\/28\/world\/europe\/kazakhstan-russia-azerbaijan-plane-crash.html\" title=\"\">President Vladimir V. Putin apologized<\/a> to Mr. Aliyev on Dec. 28 for \u201cthe tragic incident\u201d that \u201ctook place in Russian airspace,\u201d he stopped short of accepting Russian responsibility for it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In the aftermath of the crash, pro-government voices in Azerbaijan unleashed rare and withering criticism of Russia, despite the close relationship between Mr. Aliyev and Mr. Putin, two authoritarian leaders who had increasingly found <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/11\/01\/world\/europe\/azerbaijan-climate-summit-arrests.html\" title=\"\">common ground in confronting the West<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Farid Shafiyev, the chairman of the government-funded Center for Analysis of International Relations in Baku, Azerbaijan, said in a phone interview that Russia\u2019s \u201cimperial arrogance\u201d was on display in its obfuscation of the circumstances of the crash.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Referring to Russia\u2019s failure to acknowledge its culpability, Mr. Shafiyev said: \u201cThey still look down on all these former Soviet countries.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Russia has been largely silent on the crash in recent days. There was no comment from the Kremlin on Monday, and Russian state media provided only sparse coverage of Mr. Aliyev\u2019s address.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Shafiyev said that Moscow\u2019s muted response may reflect its confidence in its commanding position across the post-Soviet world. But he added that this confidence may be misplaced, pointing to the stunning collapse of the pro-Russian regime in Syria last month as evidence of how quickly its fortunes can change.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cFor the moment, they can feel very comfortable that they are still a kind of big power, but over time, that might change,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Across the former Soviet Union, Russia\u2019s grip keeps showing signs of strain. Azerbaijan\u2019s archenemy, Armenia, no longer sees Russia as the guarantor of its security and <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/11\/12\/world\/europe\/armenia-azerbaijan-russia-iran-cop.html\" title=\"\">is looking to the West and to Iran for support<\/a>. In Central Asia, China is ascendant, as the former Soviet republics there <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/10\/08\/world\/asia\/russia-putin-soviet.html\" title=\"\">view Russia as weakened and distracted by its war in Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">And just last week, another crack emerged in Transnistria, the pro-Russian breakaway region of Moldova. The Jan. 1 halt of gas to the region from Russia, a consequence of the war in Ukraine, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/05\/world\/europe\/russia-gas-moldova-transnistria.html\" title=\"\">has raised questions about<\/a> Russia\u2019s ability to maintain a loyal outpost on Europe\u2019s southeastern edge.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">By comparison, Azerbaijan had appeared to be a more positive story for Moscow. Mr. Putin made a two-day state visit in August, complete with footage that showed him relaxing in shirtsleeves with Mr. Aliyev. The head of Russia\u2019s foreign intelligence agency visited in September, casting Azerbaijan as an ally in countering Western efforts to undermine \u201cinternal political stability in our states.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But last month\u2019s crash has illuminated the limits of that partnership \u2014 and prompted Mr. Aliyev\u2019s striking willingness to assail his country\u2019s far more powerful neighbor to the north.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Flush with <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/11\/21\/world\/europe\/cop29-azerbaijan-oil-baths.html\" title=\"\">fossil fuel revenues<\/a> and brimming with confidence after defeating Armenia in a long-running conflict in 2023, the autocratic Mr. Aliyev, 63, is seizing on the aftermath of the crash to shed any semblance of being dependent on Mr. Putin.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-5\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 jet with 67 people on board <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/12\/27\/world\/europe\/kazakhstan-plane-crash-russia.html?searchResultPosition=2\" title=\"\">crashed in a ball of black smoke and orange flames<\/a> on the shores of the Caspian Sea in Kazakhstan after failing to land at its destination, the southern Russian city of Grozny. Mr. Putin told Mr. Aliyev three days later that Russian air defenses were battling Ukrainian drones in the area as the jet approached, according to a Kremlin statement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-6\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Aliyev said on Dec. 29 that this explanation and Mr. Putin\u2019s limited apology <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/12\/29\/world\/europe\/azerbaijan-blames-russia-plane-crash.html\" title=\"\">wouldn\u2019t be enough<\/a>. Russia \u201cmust acknowledge its guilt,\u201d he said, and punish those responsible. In Monday\u2019s televised meeting, Mr. Aliyev went further, declaring that \u201cthere are very serious issues here that constitute a crime.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The airspace above Grozny was only closed after the plane was fired upon, Mr. Aliyev said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIf there was a threat to Russian airspace, the captain of the plane should have been immediately informed about it,\u201d Mr. Aliyev said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Aliyev repeated his claim that a Moscow-based aviation authority that typically investigates plane crashes in much of the former Soviet Union, including Azerbaijan, couldn\u2019t be trusted to carry out a fair investigation \u2014 another striking rebuke to Mr. Putin\u2019s government.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Kazakhstan has agreed to send the plane\u2019s black boxes to Brazil, the country where the aircraft manufacturer Embraer is based.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-7\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Kazakhstan\u2019s president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, told a Kazakh newspaper in an interview published Friday that sending the black boxes to Brazil was the only way \u201cto ensure a fair and unbiased investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Kazakhstan is another former Soviet republic that has sought, cautiously, to distance itself from Russia since its invasion of Ukraine. The Azerbaijani news media has praised Kazakhstan for displaying \u201cimpartiality and objectivity\u201d in investigating the crash rather than helping Russia to cover it up.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Aliyev said the black boxes could explain why the plane crossed the Caspian Sea to crash-land in Kazakhstan, rather than make an emergency landing at a closer airport in Russia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Russia\u2019s top aviation official said the plane\u2019s pilot chose to land in Kazakhstan. On Dec. 29, Mr. Aliyev posited the theory that Russian air traffic controllers may have redirected the plane with the expectation that it would fall into the Caspian, in which case \u201cattempts to hush up the issue\u201d would have been \u201csuccessful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Aliyev also said at the time that Azerbaijan would expect Russia to pay compensation to the victims. But in a phone interview on Monday, Joshgun Nesibli, the brother of one of the flight attendants on the plane, said he was interested in something else.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-8\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWhy do I need compensation from Russia? I don\u2019t need it,\u201d said Mr. Nesibli, whose sister, Hokuma Aliyeva, died in the crash. \u201cI need them to apologize to the people, although this will not bring back our sister.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-9\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-798hid etfikam0\">Milana Mazaeva, Oleg Matsnev and Nataliya Vasilyeva contributed reporting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/06\/world\/europe\/azerbaijan-plane-crash-russia-criticism.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan on Monday excoriated Russia for trying to duck responsibility in the downing of an Azerbaijani passenger jet last month, doubling down on a rare confrontation with the Kremlin that has highlighted Russia\u2019s loss of influence in much of the former Soviet Union. Meeting with the two surviving flight attendants and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":209129,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/06\/multimedia\/06azerbaijan-plane-1-fbtj\/06azerbaijan-plane-1-fbtj-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[165038,6699,35757,165037,165042,21,59967,163809,7850,165039,3096,165041,200,209,202,165043,165040,128440],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209128"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=209128"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":209130,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209128\/revisions\/209130"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/209129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=209128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=209128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=209128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}