Russia has officially admitted that its air defense forces mistakenly shot down an Azerbaijani passenger plane in December 2024. The tragedy claimed 38 lives – citizens of Azerbaijan, Russia, and Turkey. President Vladimir Putin stated that the cause was a “technical malfunction in the targeting system” and expressed his “deep condolences to the brotherly Azerbaijani people”.

Moscow also pledged to compensate the victims’ families and to provide Baku with “technical assistance in modernizing civil aviation and air defense system”.

The admission of responsibility coincided with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Dushanbe, where the CIS summit took place on October 9. On the sidelines of the event, Aliyev and Putin held a closed-door meeting after which it was announced that Russian journalist Igor Kartavykh, previously imprisoned in Azerbaijan, had been moved from jail to house arrest.

Observers interpret this as a symbolic exchange of political gestures. Moscow acknowledged its guilt over the tragedy, while Baku demonstrated “flexibility” toward the Kremlin by softening its stance on a case involving Russian media.

Experts note that relations between Russia and Azerbaijan have recently been defined less by allied closeness than by pragmatic balance: on one side – Moscow’s military and political pressure in the region; on the other – Baku’s desire to preserve autonomy and strengthen ties with the West and Turkey.

Nevertheless, amid Russia’s growing international isolation and Azerbaijan’s cautious stance toward Western sanctions, both sides appear to have found a convenient compromise: Moscow receives public “forgiveness” for a fatal mistake, while Baku gains a visible show of political influence.

Thus, two authoritarian systems once again demonstrate their ability to exchange symbolic concessions – where human lives and journalists’ freedoms become mere pieces in a larger geopolitical game.

#RUSSIA

#AZERBAIJAN

10.10.2025 08:58