Baku is preparing an international lawsuit against Russia over the AZAL plane crash

The Azerbaijani side is preparing documents to file a lawsuit against Russia in international courts. This was announced by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, according to the Minval publication. The lawsuit is related to the high-profile air crash that occurred in December last year.

“The President stated that the situation with the incident around the AZAL plane is clear as day. According to him, for seven months, Azerbaijan has not received a single clear response from the Russian side. The Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan sends requests to the head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, but in response only the wording “the investigation is ongoing” comes,” the publication writes.

Aliyev emphasized that Russia’s position is counterproductive, recalling that the investigation into the crash of the Malaysian Boeing in the Donetsk region in 2014 lasted more than 10 years. At the same time, Baku, according to him, is also ready to wait as long as necessary.

Recall that on December 25 last year, the Azerbaijani passenger airliner Embraer 190, flying from Baku to Grozny, crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau. It is known that there were 67 people on board, of which 42 were citizens of Azerbaijan, 16 of Russia, 6 of Kazakhstan and 3 of Kyrgyzstan. 29 passengers survived.

The reasons for the plane crash have caused a lot of discussion, but the dominant version is that it came under fire from Russian air defense systems during an attack by Ukrainian drones on the territory of Chechnya. This is the opinion of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, in connection with which he demanded that Russia admit guilt, punish the perpetrators and pay compensation.

On February 4, the Reuters news agency, citing sources in the Azerbaijani government, reported that Baku has evidence of the downing of the Embraer airliner by the Russian Pantsir air defense system, namely, a fragment of a missile. Soon after, it became known that the Azerbaijani authorities intended to file a lawsuit in an international court regarding the air crash.

Последние новости
New car sales in Russia’s North Caucasus fall by 21%
Economy
New car sales in Russia’s North Caucasus fall by 21%
15 August 2026

New car sales across Russia’s North Caucasus fell by 21% in July compared with the same month last year. The sharpest decline was recorded in Dagestan, where the new-car market nearly halved over the year.
Queues at Verkhny Lars border crossing emerge amid rumours of a new mobilisation in Russia
Society
Queues at Verkhny Lars border crossing emerge amid rumours of a new mobilisation in Russia
15 August 2026

Queues remain at the Russian-Georgian border following temporary restrictions on traffic through the Verkhny Lars crossing. The situation has drawn additional attention amid rumours circulating in Russia about a possible new mobilisation, recalling the autumn of 2022, when large numbers of men eligible for military service left the country through the crossing. There is no official evidence linking the current restrictions to any mobilisation measures.
Less than a third of flood victims in Dagestan have received compensation
Society
Less than a third of flood victims in Dagestan have received compensation
15 August 2026

In Dagestan, 82,000 people have received compensation following the devastating spring floods — less than 30% of the residents who applied for assistance. In neighbouring Chechnya, authorities have reported paying out 726 million roubles to those affected.
Georgian opposition insists Russia orchestrated fuel supplies to Abkhazia
Politics
Georgian opposition insists Russia orchestrated fuel supplies to Abkhazia
15 August 2026

Fuel shipments from the Tbilisi-controlled part of Georgia to Abkhazia have sparked a new political conflict in the country. The opposition believes that Moscow and the ruling "Georgian Dream" party are behind the gasoline shipment. Authorities, however, insist that the fuel was supplied by private business and that the trade itself does not violate Georgian law.