They will face consequences: the President of Azerbaijan blamed Russia for the plane crash.

The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, made a strong statement regarding the crash of an AZAL airplane that went down near the Kazakh city of Aktau. The aircraft was operating on the Baku-Grozny route.

"The responsibility for the death of Azerbaijani citizens in this disaster lies with representatives of the Russian Federation. We insist on a fair investigation, punishment for those responsible, and complete transparency of the process," Aliyev emphasized during a meeting with the families of the deceased crew members and flight attendants. His remarks were quoted by the local publication Vesti.az.

According to available information, there were 62 people on board the Embraer 190AR: 37 citizens of Azerbaijan, 16 citizens of the Russian Federation, 6 citizens of Kazakhstan, and 3 citizens of Kyrgyzstan, with at least 39 fatalities.

Efforts are currently ongoing to decode the "black boxes," which should determine the exact causes of the crash. Preliminary data suggests two main theories for the accident: a collision with a flock of birds and a failure of the aircraft's control system.

It is known that the plane was originally scheduled to land in Grozny, but due to adverse weather conditions and thick fog, it was redirected to Makhachkala. Following this, the accident occurred near Aktau Airport, where a fire broke out at the crash site.

The aircraft belonged to Azerbaijan Airlines and was operating regular flights between Grozny and Baku.

Additionally, "Telegraf" previously reported that the plane was shot down by Russian air defense. Preliminary information suggests it was targeting drones, and one of the missiles struck the aircraft.