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
Shchukin: Over 3 Billion Rubles Paid to Flood Victims in Dagestan
Society
Shchukin: Over 3 Billion Rubles Paid to Flood Victims in Dagestan
16 October 2026

More than 3 billion rubles have been paid out to residents of Dagestan affected by spring floods. Fyodor Shchukin announced this on October 15 while speaking at a session of the republic’s People’s Assembly. On the same day, deputies elected him as the head of the region, following which he took the oath of office and assumed his duties.
Court upholds sentences for four Crimean Tatars in ‘Hizb ut-Tahrir’ case
Human rights
Court upholds sentences for four Crimean Tatars in ‘Hizb ut-Tahrir’ case
16 October 2026

A Russian military appellate court has rejected the appeals of four Crimean Tatars—Nariman Ametov, Ali Mamutov, Vokhid Mustafayev, and Enver Khalilyayev—who were convicted of involvement with the organization ‘Hizb ut-Tahrir.’ The sentences handed down by the Southern District Military Court on May 21, 2026, remain unchanged. According to the TASS news agency, citing court sources, the individuals—part of what is known as the "third Dzhankoy group"—were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 14 to 15 years.
Six more individuals involved in the case concerning the storming of the presidential residence have been released in Georgia
Human rights
Six more individuals involved in the case concerning the storming of the presidential residence have been released in Georgia
16 October 2026

Six people convicted in connection with the events of October 4, 2025, in Tbilisi have been set free following the conclusion of plea agreements with the prosecutor's office. This was reported on October 16 by the television channel TV Pirveli.
UN Summit Participants in Yerevan Seek Ways to Halt Nature’s Destruction
Ecology
UN Summit Participants in Yerevan Seek Ways to Halt Nature’s Destruction
16 October 2026

On October 16, a Leaders’ Summit on Biodiversity is taking place in Yerevan, organized as part of the preparations for the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17). Participants are discussing how to accelerate the fulfillment of international commitments regarding biodiversity conservation and prompt more decisive action from governments.