Bastrykin's Cynicism, or Truth Hidden in the Clouds over Grozny

The Russian-Ukrainian war, among other things, has also exposed new problems in the Russian Federation's establishment.

It turns out that for some of Russia's government department heads, Vladimir Putin's statements and promises are merely empty words. Judging by the behavior of officials, the Russian president can not only be disobeyed but also contradicted, with actions taken contrary to his instructions, writes Report.

A striking example of such behavior was demonstrated by the head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, Alexander Bastrykin, who closed the criminal case regarding the AZAL plane crash on December 25, 2024. Azerbaijan, which has been seeking a fair assessment of what happened for exactly one year, expressed its outrage at this step by the Russian Investigative Committee at the end of last year.

The country's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov stated that the Investigative Committee of Russia sent a letter to Azerbaijan, the content of which caused confusion: "The letter indicated that the criminal case has already been terminated. Of course, such a step raises very serious questions for us," Bayramov noted, adding that the relevant structures of Azerbaijan have already responded to this letter.

In its expectations, the Azerbaijani side rightfully relies on both the irrefutable facts revealed immediately after the tragedy and on the admissions of Vladimir Putin, which he made at a meeting with the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in Dushanbe on October 9, 2025. It was at this meeting that Putin announced that the AZAL aircraft was attacked by two missiles fired by a Russian air defense system in the sky over Grozny. Yes, according to Putin, the attack was unintentional - the air defense unit was trying to shoot down Ukrainian drones. But the scale of the tragedy does not diminish because of this, and it's no easier for the relatives of those who died.

"Of course, everything that is required in such cases, in such tragic cases, will be done by the Russian side regarding compensation, and a legal assessment will be given to the actions of all officials," the Russian president unequivocally promised.

But apparently Alexander Bastrykin did not consider it necessary to familiarize himself with his president's approach to this issue. How else can one explain the closure of the criminal case regarding the actions of those responsible for shooting down a civilian aircraft in Russian airspace? But even greater doubt about the adequacy of the decisions of the head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation arises when reading the letter sent by him to the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan, Kamran Aliyev. The text of the letter, which allegedly cites the reasons for terminating the criminal case, was published on the Telegram channel "Without Brakes."

"Due to weather conditions (cloudiness), after two unsuccessful attempts, the crew could not land at Grozny airport, decided to proceed to another airport, and when approaching Aktau airport at approximately 9:28 (Moscow time), collided with the ground, resulting in the destruction of the aircraft and fire, as a result of which 38 people died, 29 received injuries of varying severity. Based on the results of the investigation and the totality of evidence obtained, the criminal case has been terminated," the head of the Investigative Committee cynically states.

It's already clear that Bastrykin doesn't consider the opinion of the Russian president who appointed him to the position. But the fact that the Investigative Committee's conclusions about the causes of the plane crash fundamentally contradict the results of the preliminary investigation by the international commission speaks to a complete lack of logical thinking on Alexander Ivanovich's part. After