Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev stated that the Azerbaijani airliner that crashed last week was shot down by Russia, although unintentionally. He criticized Moscow for attempting to conceal the incident for several days. Aliyev clarified that the plane was hit by fire from the ground over Russia, rendering it uncontrollable due to electronic warfare. He expressed disappointment with the initial responses from Russian officials, describing them as delirious versions of events.
The crash, which occurred in Kazakhstan, resulted in the loss of 38 lives out of the 67 individuals on board. The Kremlin reported that air defense systems near Grozny were activated to counter a Ukrainian drone strike when the plane tried to land in the region. Aliyev outlined three demands made to Russia in response to the crash: an apology, acknowledgment of guilt, punishment of those responsible, and compensation for the affected parties.
President Putin issued an apology to Aliyev, referring to the crash as a tragic incident. However, he did not explicitly accept Moscow's responsibility. A joint investigation involving Russia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan has been initiated at the crash site near Aktau in Kazakhstan. Passengers and crew members who survived the crash reported hearing loud noises on the aircraft while circling over Grozny.
Russia's civil aviation authority mentioned that the plane was preparing to land in Grozny amidst dense fog, with Ukrainian drones targeting the city, leading to the closure of airspace. This incident marks the second fatal civil aviation accident linked to conflicts in Ukraine, following the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in 2014. Despite Russia's denial of responsibility, a Dutch court convicted individuals for their involvement in downing the plane with a Russian-supplied air defense system.
