Ten months after a national tragedy, the mood in Azerbaijan is one of both mourning and demand. The admission of fault from Russia has validated the nation’s grief, but it has also fueled its demand for justice and respect.
The loss of 38 citizens in the 2024 plane crash was a profound blow to the small Caucasian nation. The sense of helplessness was amplified by the silence from their powerful neighbor, leading to widespread public anger and frustration.
President Ilham Aliyev’s confrontational stance at the Dushanbe summit is a reflection of this national mood. His accusation of a cover-up channels the public’s feeling of being wronged twice—first by the crash, and then by the lack of transparency.
For the people of Azerbaijan, this is not just a political issue; it is a matter of national honor. They are mourning their dead, but they are also demanding that their country be treated as an equal partner, not as a client state whose losses can be ignored.
Putin’s promises of compensation and a legal review will be scrutinized heavily by the Azerbaijani public. The government in Baku is now under immense pressure to ensure that Russia’s atonement is seen as sufficient and sincere by a nation that is still very much in pain.