Ilham Aliyev, the President of Azerbaijan, has demanded 'justice' and 'punishment' for those responsible for the Christmas Day plane crash that killed 38 people

Relations between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin have worsened following the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane crash. However, this cooling is unlikely to be long-lasting,

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has called Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for the second time in two days to continue discussions about the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane. Source: Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency RIA Novosti,

Russian leader Vladimir Putin currently finds himself in an uncomfortable position, in which his ‘never-back-down’ persona, long seen as a political strength, threatens to become a major obstacle in defusing brewing tension with Azerbaijan.

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia told the Azerbaijani leader, Ilham Aliyev, in a phone call, “that the tragic incident took place in Russian airspace.”

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev is pressuring Vladimir Putin to acknowledge Russia's responsibility for the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane crash. He accuses Russian representatives of attempting to "cover up the incident,

Vladimir Putin admitted Saturday Russian air defence was working when an Azerbaijani Airlines plane tried to land in Grozny before crashing, breaking the Kremlin's silence as speculation mounted Russia may have accidentally shot the plane.

Vladimir Putin has apologised for the Azerbaijan Airlines crash but stopped short of accepting responsibility for what he described as a “tragic incident”.

In the crash’s aftermath, Azerbaijan has unleashed rare and stinging criticism of Russia, with the country’s president saying Moscow’s response has caused “surprise, regret and rightful indignation.”

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev accused Russia of "an attempt to hush up" the downing of an Azerbaijan Airlines jet last month.

"The blame for this disaster lies with representatives of the Russian Federation," Ilham Aliyev said on Jan. 6.

Brazilian air force investigators collaborate with international teams to analyze data from the Azerbaijani airliner crash in Kazakhstan, amid claims of Russian involvement.