• KGS/USD = 0.01144 0%
  • KZT/USD = 0.00200 0%
  • TJS/USD = 0.09163 -0.11%
  • UZS/USD = 0.00008 0%
  • TMT/USD = 0.28530 -0.14%
  • KGS/USD = 0.01144 0%
  • KZT/USD = 0.00200 0%
  • TJS/USD = 0.09163 -0.11%
  • UZS/USD = 0.00008 0%
  • TMT/USD = 0.28530 -0.14%
  • KGS/USD = 0.01144 0%
  • KZT/USD = 0.00200 0%
  • TJS/USD = 0.09163 -0.11%
  • UZS/USD = 0.00008 0%
  • TMT/USD = 0.28530 -0.14%
  • KGS/USD = 0.01144 0%
  • KZT/USD = 0.00200 0%
  • TJS/USD = 0.09163 -0.11%
  • UZS/USD = 0.00008 0%
  • TMT/USD = 0.28530 -0.14%
  • KGS/USD = 0.01144 0%
  • KZT/USD = 0.00200 0%
  • TJS/USD = 0.09163 -0.11%
  • UZS/USD = 0.00008 0%
  • TMT/USD = 0.28530 -0.14%
  • KGS/USD = 0.01144 0%
  • KZT/USD = 0.00200 0%
  • TJS/USD = 0.09163 -0.11%
  • UZS/USD = 0.00008 0%
  • TMT/USD = 0.28530 -0.14%
  • KGS/USD = 0.01144 0%
  • KZT/USD = 0.00200 0%
  • TJS/USD = 0.09163 -0.11%
  • UZS/USD = 0.00008 0%
  • TMT/USD = 0.28530 -0.14%
  • KGS/USD = 0.01144 0%
  • KZT/USD = 0.00200 0%
  • TJS/USD = 0.09163 -0.11%
  • UZS/USD = 0.00008 0%
  • TMT/USD = 0.28530 -0.14%
18 February 2025

Viewing results 1 - 6 of 16

In Azerbaijan, Anger Toward Russia Simmers After Plane Crash Report

Commentators in Azerbaijan have reacted to a preliminary report on the Dec. 25 crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane with another round of scathing criticism of Russia, which Azerbaijan accuses of accidentally firing on the aircraft from the ground. The report that was released on Tuesday by Kazakhstan, where the passenger plane crashed after diverting from a planned landing in Russia, did not clear up whether Russia had fired on the plane, saying only that objects that were not part of the plane had struck it and caused significant damage. While a full report is in the works, that could take many more months, during which time tensions between Azerbaijan and Russia are likely to stew or escalate unless Azerbaijan gets the full apology and accountability that it demands. Some analysts in Azerbaijan are already fuming about what they characterize as an evasive statement by Russian civil aviation authority Rosaviatsiya about the preliminary report on the crash that killed 38 out of the 67 people on the plane. The Russian statement on Telegram noted that the report “does not contain conclusions about the causes of the incident” and acknowledged that the plane was damaged by external impacts. “However, the report does not indicate that the Kazakh side identified foreign objects inside the aircraft, while the Russian Federation has not yet had the opportunity to examine these elements, as they have not been handed over for expert analysis,” Rosaviatsiya said. The statement also notes that the crew of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane on the Baku-Grozny route “independently” decided to divert to Aktau, Kazakhstan, even though Russian air traffic controllers had proposed other Russian airports for landing. Lastly, it says the pilots of the Embraer 190 aircraft told Russian air traffic controllers that there had been a bird strike and an oxygen cylinder explosion on the plane, theories that have been widely attributed to the pilots’ confusion at the time and have since been almost entirely discredited. “This means that the Russian side is still clinging to the crew's assumptions as a lifeline. While Baku does not accuse Moscow of deliberately downing the aircraft, it is strongly urging Russia to take responsibility,” Samir Veliyev wrote in an analysis on Caliber, a Baku-based news organization. “The situation as it stands today clearly shows that it is becoming increasingly difficult for the Russian side to deny its involvement in the incident. So why drag this out? Baku will not back down from its already stated position, which is based on irrefutable facts,” Veliyev wrote. Another news outlet in Azerbaijan, aze.media, said Russia knew about the investigation results in advance and could have acknowledged its alleged role. “But instead, the Kremlin, as always, chose the ‘we know nothing’ tactic and decided to simply ignore the obvious,” aze.media said in an opinion piece. Numerous aviation and security specialists have said damage to the plane’s fuselage is consistent with shrapnel marks. Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologized to his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, in a phone conversation. However, the...

“Mayday! Mayday!” Kazakhstan Releases Report on AZAL Plane Crash

A preliminary report on the Dec. 25 crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane in Kazakhstan contains details that could be consistent with widespread assertions that the aircraft was damaged by ground fire during an earlier attempt to land as planned in Russia. But the report, released on Tuesday by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport, leaves many questions unanswered about the crash that killed 38 out of the 67 people on board the plane and sharpened tensions between Azerbaijan and Russia. [caption id="attachment_28337" align="aligncenter" width="923"] Image: Department for Investigation of Accidents and Incidents in Transport preliminary report[/caption] An investigation is ongoing and a final report will be prepared on the disaster just outside the Kazakh city of Aktau, meaning that more information could emerge on Russia’s alleged culpability in the case. While the preliminary report helps to fill out a picture of the chaos and confusion that unfolded on the Embraer 190 plane on the Baku-Grozny route, it is unlikely to satisfy Azerbaijan, which accused Russia of a coverup and demanded accountability. The report on the politically sensitive case says its purpose is to focus on aviation safety and not to establish anyone’s guilt. Assigning blame could come in criminal cases that were opened by Azerbaijani and Kazakh prosecutors, though holding those responsible to account, especially if they are in Russia, will be a challenge. [caption id="attachment_28338" align="aligncenter" width="851"] Image: Department for Investigation of Accidents and Incidents in Transport preliminary report[/caption] The report says parts of the plane were hit by objects from outside the plane and photos show portions of the fuselage riddled with holes, but the analysis doesn’t confirm that they were the result of missile shrapnel as some security and aviation analysts have said. “The initial inspection of the surviving fragments revealed numerous through and non-through damages of various sizes and shapes in the tail section of the fuselage, vertical stabilizer and stabilizer, elevator and rudder. Similar damages were found on the left engine and left wing of the aircraft, as well as on the units and components of the aircraft. In some places, the damages have a regular rectangular shape,” the report said. Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologized to his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, in a phone conversation. However, the Russian leader did not acknowledge that the aircraft had been accidentally hit by Russian fire before diverting to Aktau. Russia has said the area was under attack by Ukrainian drones at the time. Kazakhstan has led the investigation, which includes representatives from Azerbaijan, Russia and Brazil. The Canada-based International Civil Aviation Organization, a United Nations agency that oversees aviation safety, is also involved. The preliminary report provides a picture of the flight and subsequent crash that is consistent with past accounts of survivors and other sources of information, though it also offers gripping detail from the data and cockpit voice recorders that were recovered and analyzed in Brazil, where the plane model is made. At one point, the sound of a boom is recorded. Citing the...

Kazakhstan to Release Preliminary Report on Aktau Plane Crash in Coming Days

Kazakhstan’s Minister of Transport, Marat Karabayev, has announced that a preliminary report on the investigation into the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) aircraft near Aktau will be published in the coming days. On December 25, 2024, an Embraer 190 aircraft operated by AZAL crashed approximately three kilometers from Aktau airport while attempting an emergency landing. The flight, en route from Baku to the Russian city of Grozny, was carrying 62 passengers and five crew members. Thirty-eight people were killed in the crash. Footage from the crash site shows significant damage to the fuselage, with some reports suggesting a pattern consistent with air defense missile fragment impacts. The aircraft had initially requested permission to land at Grozny airport before abruptly changing course toward Aktau. Among the possible causes under investigation are a missile strike, and electronic system malfunctions due to radio signal suppression in Grozny linked to Russian efforts to repel Ukrainian drone attacks. Initially, the possibility of a bird strike was also mooted. Kazakhstan is leading the investigation under the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Convention, as the crash occurred within its territory. Specialists from Azerbaijan, Russia, and Brazil, along with international aviation experts and representatives from Embraer, are involved in the inquiry. “The specialists need time to complete their work, and we will not provide comments until the preliminary report is published. However, I promise that the report will be released in the coming days,” Karabayev said at a press conference in Astana on Tuesday. The investigation is in its final stages, he added, noting that experts from Azerbaijan, Russia, Brazil’s Center for Investigation and Prevention of Aviation Accidents (CENIPA), and ICAO have all contributed. “I hope that in the near future, we will publish a preliminary report on our website,” the minister stated. Karabayev specified that the report will be made available on the website of the Civil Aviation Committee, which operates under the Ministry of Transport. The Brazilian CENIPA has completed its analysis of the aircraft’s black boxes, and the decoded data has been sent to Kazakh authorities. “The conclusions drawn from this analysis, and those published in the final crash report, are the sole responsibility of Kazakhstan’s investigative body,” CENIPA stated. According to ICAO regulations, a preliminary report should be issued within 30 days of an incident. In late January, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister, Kanat Bozumbayev, expressed hope that the initial findings would be released by the end of the month, but no report has yet been published. “Specialists need time to complete the work. It is a very complex and meticulous process,” Karabayev reiterated in response to questions about the delay. As The Times of Central Asia previously reported, the plane crash has contributed to tensions between Azerbaijan and Russia.

Explosions, Panic, Darkness: Kyrgyz Passenger Describes Azerbaijan Airlines Crash

"We are making an emergency landing. Hold on tight, the impact will be strong. After landing, exit the plane quickly.” Rinat Asanov, a passenger from Kyrgyzstan and one of 29 people who survived the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Kazakhstan on December 25, recalled the announcement by a flight attendant shortly before the violent impact that killed 38 others on the aircraft. Asanov, who suffered a severe head injury, fractures and bruises, was recently discharged from a hospital in Bishkek and was interviewed by AKIpress, a news agency based in the Kyrgyz capital. Azerbaijan alleges the Embraer 190 plane diverted from a planned landing in Grozny, Chechnya to Aktau, Kazakhstan after being accidentally hit by Russian ground fire, and Kazakh authorities have said preliminary results of an investigation are expected this month. Most of the 67 people on board, including five crewmembers, were from Azerbaijan, and the second-largest group was from Russia. Six Kazakh citizens died. All three Kyrgyz nationals on the plane survived. Asanov, who was in a coma for three days in a Kazakh hospital before being transferred to intensive care in Kyrgyzstan, described a “good mood” as the flight got underway that morning. He promptly fell asleep on the plane. “Suddenly, a loud sound was heard, similar to an explosion,” he told AKIpress. “I woke up in panic and everyone was crying.” Seconds later, another explosion. “I was confused and didn't understand what was happening. The flight attendants tried to calm down us saying: "Don't panic, everything will be fine, we will land safely."´ Then came the warning about the emergency landing. “It’s difficult to imagine how one should feel at such moments,” Asanov said in the interview, which was published on Tuesday. “First I believed that we could land with no consequences. It was very scary, I felt my vision darken. Later I realized I had lost consciousness. I was sitting in the middle of the cabin, near the wing. As I was later told, passengers in this area and in the tail section of the plane were less injured. However, many in the front part of the plane were severely affected." Other passengers have given similar accounts of events leading to the crash, and small holes in part of the fuselage appear to support the theory that the plane was sprayed with shrapnel. Edil Baisalov, Kyrgyzstan’s deputy Cabinet chairman, visited the Kyrgyz survivors while they were being treated at the National Hospital in Bishkek. He said the country is “incredibly lucky” that they survived and he thanked Kazakhstan for rescue and treatment efforts, according to 24.kg, a Kyrgyz news agency. The two other Kyrgyz survivors were less severely injured than Asanov and were discharged from hospital care before him. Asanov, an IT student at the International University of Kyrgyzstan, previously worked for two years as a surveyor on construction sites in Russia. He is in his 20s. Since the accident, he has found strength in his religious faith and a feeling that he has a...

Two Weeks After Crash, Russia Closes City Airspace and Azerbaijan Cancels Flight

Azerbaijan Airlines canceled a flight to the southwest Russian city of Kazan on Wednesday after the airspace over the city was closed as a security precaution, Azerbaijan’s state media reported. The cancellation of the Baku-Kazan-Baku flight came two weeks after an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane crashed in Kazakhstan after, according to Azerbaijan, the aircraft was accidentally hit by Russian ground fire and diverted from a planned landing in Grozny, Chechnya. Russian President Vladimir Putin has not confirmed the Azerbaijani account, though he apologized and said Russian air defenses were repelling Ukrainian drones over Grozny and two other Russian areas at the time. Azertac, an Azerbaijani state news agency, said the cancellation of the Kazan-bound flight came after Russia’s announcement of its so-called “Kovyor,” or “carpet,” operation, in which airspace over an area is closed temporarily because of a perceived threat. Kazan has previously been targeted by long-range Ukrainian drones. The Kovyor protocol came under scrutiny after an Azerbaijani airliner crashed on Dec. 25 in Aktau, Kazakhstan, killing 38 people and leaving 29 survivors. Without naming Putin, President Ilham Aliyev has harshly criticized Russian officials for alleged attempts to cover up what happened by floating false theories about the cause of the crash and said the Kovyor plan was activated after the plane was shot at, indicating criminal liability. “If there was a threat to Russian airspace, the captain of the plane should have been informed about it immediately. The airspace should have been closed immediately and the plane should have turned back,” Aliyev said, according to APA, another Azerbaijani government news agency. “I should also note that about 10 days before the accident, a similar incident occurred near the city of Grozny. An AZAL plane was turned back halfway. Why was the crew not warned about it this time? Naturally, the investigation will show this.” Kazakhstan is leading the investigation team, which includes officials from Azerbaijan and Russia as well as input from Brazilian technicians who have examined the flight data and cockpit voice recorders from the Brazil-produced Embraer 190 plane. Kazakhstan has said a preliminary report is expected within 30 days of the crash. Azerbaijan Airlines suspended flights to some Russian cities after the crash.

Kazakhstan’s High-Stakes Balancing Act in the Aktau Crash Investigation

The Aktau crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 aircraft, which killed 38 people on 25 December, was a tragic event with significant international repercussions. This devastating accident not only claimed lives but also raised critical questions about aviation safety and the handling of sensitive investigations. As investigators sought to determine its cause, Kazakhstan faced an important decision regarding the handling of the flight recorder. Ultimately, the country chose to transfer the recorder to Brazil, the manufacturer of the aircraft, rather than to the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), as Russia had proposed. This decision reflected both technical and diplomatic considerations, marking a crucial moment in the unfolding investigation. By taking this decision, Kazakhstan adhered to established industry procedures for aviation safety investigations. Such a step highlights the country's commitment to transparency and global norms in aviation. The move is typical of the country's foreign policy under President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, whose long diplomatic experience leads him to emphasize a rules-based approach over political considerations and to act in accord with established procedural norms. This choice ensured that the investigation would follow established international practices, thereby lending credibility to the process and reassuring global aviation stakeholders. This behavior is also in line with Kazakhstan's broader commitment to international law and a rules-based global order. Another notable example of this approach was its endorsement of the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity through its refusal to recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea or the independence of the Donbas regions. These decisions were not necessarily easy ones, given Kazakhstan’s economic and security ties with Russia, but they reinforced its commitment to global standards. While some observers might frame decisions like the Aktau recorder transfer as a “snub” to Russia, such characterizations would miss the point. Like Kazakhstan’s refusal to recognize Donbas as independent and its efforts to prevent the flow of military components in violation of Western sanctions, its actions are not meant to be about rejecting one partner in favor of another. Rather, acting in its own autonomous interests, Kazakhstan seeks to "do the right thing," because this maintains a consistent international profile with a steady foreign-policy course grounded in international law and practice. Kazakhstan’s mediation efforts extend beyond formal multilateral forums, showcasing its active engagement in regional and global diplomacy. The country provided a neutral platform for discussions between opposing factions in the conflict over Syria; and it has also worked to ease tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, hosting purely bilateral consultations and thus demonstrating its capacity to engage constructively in regional conflicts without taking sides. These efforts are in line with Kazakhstan’s larger foreign-policy strategy to act as a principled and impartial intermediary on the global stage, fostering dialogue and reducing hostilities. Similarly, Kazakhstan’s leadership in the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) reflects its dedication to multilateralism and peaceful conflict resolution. Kazakhstan exemplifies the rising middle-power archetype also through its significant contributions to global nuclear non-proliferation. Its foreign policy operates on...