Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov stated that Moscow's letter terminating the criminal investigation into the AZAL plane crash was "gravely surprising." The letter was sent by Alexander Bastrykin, Chairman of the Russian Investigative Committee.

According to Bayramov, the Azerbaijani side has developed a "clear and detailed position" on this request and expects the process to be completed in accordance with the agreements reached at the highest level between the two countries.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, in turn, called the crash a "shared tragedy," citing attacks by Ukrainian drones as the "root cause" and expressing hope for a speedy conclusion of the investigation.

As a reminder, on December 25, 2024, an Azerbaijani Embraer 190 passenger jetliner, flying from Baku to Grozny, crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau. There were 67 people on board, of whom 29 survived. Moscow long concealed the cause of the plane crash, but it was revealed that it came under fire from Russian air defense systems during an attack by Ukrainian drones over Chechen territory. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev supported this theory, demanding that Russia admit guilt, punish those responsible, and pay compensation. The plane crash became the main cause of serious tension in relations between Russia and Azerbaijan.

In October of this year, after ten months of silence, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a personal conversation with Ilham Aliyev in Dushanbe, acknowledged Moscow's involvement in the plane crash for the first time. He also blamed Ukrainian drones for the tragedy. The Azerbaijani leader accepted the apology, as well as promises to pay compensation and punish those responsible.