Impunity of General Tolopilo led to the tragedy with the AZAL aircraft - NEW DETAILS

Despite the fact that many months have passed since the tragedy, Russia stubbornly refuses to acknowledge guilt for the downed AZAL aircraft. Those responsible for this catastrophe have still not been punished: they continue to serve, and some have even received promotions.

According to Minval Politika, the chain of decisions that led to the strike on the AZAL civilian flight includes key figures:

​- ​Major General Alexander Tolopilo - commander of the 51st Air Defense Division of the Russian Aerospace Forces, who authorized the missile launch;

​- Lieutenant Colonel Nikolai Orlyansky - received the order and passed it to the crew;

​- ​Captain Dmitry Paladichuk - executed the direct launch;

​- Captain Dmitry Pudovkin - senior navigator of the combat control group of the 51st Air Defense Division;

​- ​Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Yanovsky - operational duty officer of the Southern Military District headquarters;

​- ​Colonel Gennady Eremenko - operational duty officer of the command post of the 4th Guards Army of the Air Force and Air Defense.

All of them, according to our sources, played an active role in the tragedy. But none of them were held accountable - moreover, some officers received new appointments.

Tolopilo's Order and the AZAL Flight Tragedy

It was Major General Alexander Tolopilo who authorized the use of the "Pantsir-S" anti-aircraft missile system against a passenger aircraft following the Baku - Grozny route. As a result of the attack, the airliner was forced to make an emergency landing in Aktau. 38 people out of 67 on board were killed.

As Minval Politika has already reported, the "Pantsir" crew was in an improper technical and organizational state, which did not allow them to identify the civilian aircraft in time. Despite this, Tolopilo not only avoided punishment but was promoted - he was appointed deputy commander of the 11th Guards Army of the Air Force and Air Defense of the Eastern Military District.

Career Growth Amid Scandals

As Minval Politika has learned, after commanding the 51st Air Defense Division, Major General Alexander Tolopilo was appointed to the position of Chief of Staff - First Deputy Commander of the 11th Army of the Air Force and Air Defense. This appointment raises questions: such rapid advancement for a division commander typically becomes possible only with serious merits or special patronage.

However, Tolopilo's dossier is far from impeccable. His service record includes episodes that could be qualified as service crimes, but they remained unpunished. One of the most notorious cases occurred on June 8, 2024. On that day, due to the fault of the command of the 51st Air Defense Division headed by Tolopilo and his subordinates, during an attack by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, a Su-57 fighter was damaged - one of the most expensive and "prestigious" examples of Russian aviation. In addition, civilian personnel were injured at the airfield of the 929th Chkalov State Flight Test Center in the Akhtubinsky district of the Astrakhan region.

While the operating modes on the radar were set correctly, in accordance with the methodological guidelines for selecting operating modes for various radar models when combating cruise missiles (URBD), small UAVs, MLRS rockets, anti-radar missiles like "HARM", on June 7, 2024, a malfunction of some combat vehicles was detected, which was immediately reported to the leadership.

"The anti-aircraft missile division