Azerbaijani anger over plane crash grows, in deepening schism with Russia

President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan on Monday excoriated Russia for trying to duck responsibility in the downing of an Azerbaijani passenger jet last month, doubling down on a rare confrontation with the Kremlin that has highlighted Russia’s loss of influence in much of the former Soviet Union. Meeting with the two surviving flight attendants and with relatives of the crew members who died in the crash, Aliyev said Russian efforts “to hush up this incident” caused “surprise, regret and rightful indignation” in Azerbaijan. The preliminary investigation into the Dec. 25 crash that killed 38 people made it clear, he said, that had the Russian military and civilian authorities coordinated properly, “this tragedy could have been prevented.” He reiterated his assertion, which has been backed up by footage from the scene and Western assessments, that the plane crashed after being hit by Russian air defenses. “I can say with confidence that the blame for the fact that Azerbaijani citizens died in this disaster lies with representatives of the Russian Federation,” Mr. Aliyev said. “We demand justice, we demand the punishment of the guilty, we demand complete transparency and decent behavior.” In a departure from protocol, Aliyev made those televised comments in Russian, rather than in Azerbaijani; analysts described that decision as both a nod of respect to the Russian-speaking relatives of the deceased pilots, as well as a sign that Aliyev wanted to be heard in Moscow. While President Vladimir V. Putin apologized to Aliyev on Dec. 28 for “the tragic incident” that “took place in Russian airspace,” he stopped short of accepting Russian responsibility for it. In the aftermath of the crash, pro-government voices in Azerbaijan unleashed rare and withering criticism of Russia, despite the close relationship between Aliyev and Putin, two authoritarian leaders who had increasingly found common ground in confronting the West.<br/>