A person claiming to be a Russian officer has admitted to directing the shoot-down of an Azerbaijani passenger airliner last December, according to Azerbaijani news outlet Minval. The report, published on July 1, cites audio and written statements that suggest a Russian air defense system mistook the aircraft for a drone during a military exercise, resulting in the crash of an Embraer 190AR over Kazakhstan on December 25, 2024. Thirty-eight people lost their lives in the incident.
Minval, the Azerbaijani news website, claims it has obtained three audio recordings, an anonymous letter, and an explanatory note from a man identified as Captain Dmitry Paladichuk. According to the leaked materials, Paladichuk, a Russian air defense officer, stated that he was ordered to open fire on an unidentified aerial target, which later turned out to be an Azerbaijani airliner flying over Chechnya. The incident sparked an immediate diplomatic fallout between Azerbaijan and Russia, with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev accusing Moscow of concealing the truth, while Russian President Vladimir Putin offered condolences without publicly admitting fault.
Russian independent media outlets confirmed Paladichuk’s identity as a serving air defense officer, with The Insider noting that the details in the note appear genuine, and that the speed of the plane suggests Russia’s command had full awareness it was not a drone. These revelations have further strained already tense relations between the two nations, which were previously considered close economic and political partners.
The latest developments come amid a series of escalating tensions, including the detention of over 50 Azerbaijanis in Russia on charges related to a murder investigation and the detention of Russian operatives in Baku. These events have intensified the already complex dynamics between the two countries, raising questions about the future of their bilateral relationship in the current geopolitical climate.