Azerbaijan’s President claims plane that crashed was shot at from Russia

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev stated on Sunday, December 29 that the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Kazakhstan this week, killing 38 people was damaged by gunfire from the ground in Russia. He accused Moscow of attempting to conceal the true cause of the crash and called for Russia to take responsibility for the disaster.

Aliyev expressed regret that “some circles” in Russia had tried to suppress the truth, spreading false narratives about the crash, which claimed 38 of the 67 lives onboard. He criticized Moscow for presenting theories that appeared to cover up the incident.

“The facts are that the Azerbaijani civilian plane was damaged from the outside over Russian territory, near the city of Grozny, and almost lost control,” Aliyev said in televised comments, according to state news agency, Azertag.

“We also know that electronic warfare systems put our plane out of control,” he said, adding that “at the same time, as a result of fire from the ground, the tail of the plane was also severely damaged.”

He added that “of course,” the Azerbaijani plane “was hit by accident. Of course, there can be no talk of a deliberate act of terror here.”

He emphasized that the incident was accidental, not a deliberate attack, and urged Russia to admit guilt, apologize promptly to Azerbaijan, and inform the public.

Russian President “apologized”

Russian President Vladimir Putin had earlier “apologized” to Aliyev for the “tragic incident,” though he did not acknowledge that Russian fire had struck the plane. Putin confirmed that Russian air defences were active when the plane was attempting to land in Grozny but refrained from linking Russian fire to the crash. Moscow had initially claimed that Ukrainian drones had attacked Grozny that day.

Azerbaijan’s transport minister said the plane, which crashed on December 25, was subject to “external interference” and was damaged both inside and out while trying to land in Chechnya. Survivors reported hearing three blasts while the plane was over Grozny.

Further, Baku has demanded a thorough investigation and accountability for those responsible.

(With inputs of PTI)