Russia has stated its intention to fulfill all agreements between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev regarding the investigation into the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin emphasized its commitment to implementing the agreements reached at the meeting in Dushanbe in October.

This statement comes amid the "serious surprise" expressed by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry over a letter from the head of the Russian Investigative Committee terminating the criminal investigation into the plane crash.

On December 25, 2024, an Azerbaijani airliner en route from Baku to Grozny crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau. The cause of the crash was initially concealed, but it was later revealed that the plane was shot down by Russian air defense systems while repelling an attack by Ukrainian UAVs. The plane crash, which killed 38 people and left 29 survivors, sparked tensions between the two countries, as Azerbaijan demanded that Russia admit guilt, punish those responsible, and pay compensation.
In October of this year, after ten months of silence, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a private 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.