AZAL disaster: The deceased crew members of the aircraft have been posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Azerbaijan.

The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, posthumously awarded the title of National Hero of Azerbaijan to the crew members involved in the crash in Aktau. This honor was bestowed upon the pilots and the flight attendant.

This information was reported by RBK-Ukraine, citing a statement from President Ilham Aliyev.

According to the presidential decree, the title of National Hero of Azerbaijan was posthumously awarded to:

• Captain Igor Kshnyakin,
• Co-pilot Alexander Kalyaninov,
• Flight attendant Hokyuma Aliyeva.

The surviving flight attendants, Zulfugar Asadov and Aidan Ragimli, received the "Rashadat" ("Bravery") order of the highest, first degree.

Azerbaijan Airlines Plane Crash

Recall that on December 25, a passenger plane crashed in Kazakhstan near the city of Aktau. The Embraer 190 aircraft belonged to Azerbaijan Airlines.

At the time of the accident, there were 67 people on board. As a result of the crash, 38 people lost their lives, including the pilots.

It is known that the plane was on a flight from Baku to Grozny but was unable to land in Chechnya. The Russian air defense system shot down the passenger aircraft, causing it to reach Kazakhstan.

According to the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Kirill Budanov, the passenger plane was shot down by the Russian air defense system "Pantsir-S1". This is also confirmed by analysts and Western media.

Russia does not acknowledge that it shot down the passenger aircraft and is attempting to evade responsibility. More details about the plane crash can be found in the RBK-Ukraine article.