MOSCOW, July 21. /TASS/. Moscow will wait official rulings should Azerbaijan file a lawsuit with international judicial bodies against Russia following the plane crash near Aktau, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated during a briefing.
Earlier, media reports indicated that Baku was preparing documents to submit to international courts in connection with the Azerbaijani AZAL plane crash near Aktau, Kazakhstan.
"An investigation is underway, the case is being examined. If Azerbaijan makes such a decision, it is Azerbaijan’s right. We will wait for official rulings," the spokesman said.
The Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190, flying from Baku to Grozny, crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on December 25, 2024. On board were 67 people — 62 passengers, primarily Azerbaijani citizens along with nationals of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan — and five crew members. The crash claimed 38 lives.
In February 2025, Kazakhstan’s Transport Ministry issued a preliminary investigation report. While it stopped short of identifying the cause of the crash, the report noted the discovery of holes in the aircraft’s fuselage and the presence of foreign metal fragments, which were sent for expert analysis.
Astana had initially reported the involvement of international experts in determining the crash’s causes. The flight recorders of the crashed plane were decoded in Brazil, the country where the plane was manufactured. The Russian and Azerbaijani sides were both given access to the investigation materials.
In late May 2025, the investigation entered its second phase, focusing on the analysis of the collected evidence by experts, Kazakh Transport Minister Marat Karabayev reported.