Attar slams awarding of Chechen Security Council secretary the same day the airplane was shot down as unconscionable

It is unconscionable that Hamzat Kadyrov, Secretary of the Chechen Security Council, was awarded on December 25, the same day an AZAL passenger aircraft operating the Baku-Grozny flight crashed, Aygun Attar, Chairman of the Board of Türkiye-Azerbaijan Friendship, Cooperation and Solidarity Foundation, told Haber Global, Report informs.

Attar did not rule out the possibility that the plane was deliberately shot down.

According to Attar, the plane falling into the sea would have been the most desirable version for the perpetrators: "Because the traces would have been lost. But the facts show that the plane was hit by a missile, rather than collided with a flock of birds."

She noted that Azerbaijan is Russia's closest ally in the South Caucasus: "In this case, Russia should take responsibility explicitly without avoiding anything and apologize. This is Azerbaijan's expectation."

On December 25, an AZAL passenger aircraft on a Baku-Grozny flight crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan. Among the 67 people on board, 42 were Azerbaijani citizens, 16 were Russian, 6 were Kazakh, and 3 were Kyrgyz. Tragically, 38 individuals lost their lives, while 29 survived.

Following the accident, 27 individuals were admitted to the hospital. Of these, 15 are Azerbaijani citizens, 8 are Russian citizens, and 3 are citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic. The identity of one individual has not yet been confirmed.

Three crew members, including both pilots, were killed, while two crew members survived.

In response to the numerous casualties, President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree declaring December 26 as a day of mourning. Additionally, a State Commission, led by Prime Minister Ali Asadov, was established by order of the head of state to investigate the causes of the plane crash.

On December 26, 14 wounded and 4 bodies were brought to Azerbaijan.