Aliyev announced: 'National Hero' title awarded to those who lost their lives in plane crash

In accordance with the decree signed by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the captain pilot Igor Kshnyakin, co-pilot Aleksandr Kalyaninov, and cabin crew member Hokume Aliyeva, who lost their lives in the incident, were awarded the title of "National Hero of Azerbaijan."

Under the same decree, the surviving cabin crew members Zulfugar Asadov and Aydan Rahimli were awarded the "Reshadet" (Bravery) order.

In a statement to Azerbaijan State Television, Aliyev said, "The pilots and crew showed great heroism. Even though the pilots knew they would not survive the emergency landing, they showed maximum heroism to save the passengers, and as a result, there were survivors."

WHAT HAPPENED?

The Embraer 190 type aircraft belonging to AZAL, which was on a Baku-Grozny flight, crashed near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, on December 25. 38 people lost their lives in the accident, and 29 people survived.

AZAL had announced that the plane crashed as a result of external physical and technical interference.

Azerbaijani authorities confirmed the claim that the plane was subjected to an attack by a Russian "Pantsir-S" air defense system.

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Aliyev by phone and apologized, stating that the "tragic incident" in which the AZAL plane was shot down "occurred in Russian airspace."

Following the ceremony held for the crew members who lost their lives on the plane, Aliyev stated that the aircraft received an external strike in Russian airspace and became uncontrollable due to radio-electronic equipment, adding that Russia must pay compensation to the Azerbaijani state and to the injured passengers and crew.