Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said Sunday that the Azerbaijani plane that crashed last week was shot down by Russia, albeit unintentionally, and criticized Moscow for trying to “hush up” the matter for days.
“We can say with complete clarity that the plane was shot down by Russia. (…) We are not saying that it was done intentionally, but it was done,” he told Azerbaijan state television.
Aliyev said the plane, which crashed on Wednesday in Kazakhstan, was hit by ground fire over Russia and “was left uncontrollable by electronic warfare.” Aliyev accused Russia of trying to “hush up” the matter for several days, saying he was “upset and surprised” by versions of events presented by Russian officials.
“Unfortunately, for the first three days we heard nothing from Russia except delusional versions,” he said.
The accident killed 38 of the 67 people on board. The Kremlin said air defense systems were firing near Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, where the plane attempted to land, to deflect a Ukrainian drone attack.
Aliyev said Azerbaijan made three demands to Russia in connection with the accident.
“First of all, the Russian side must apologize to Azerbaijan. Secondly, you must admit your guilt. Thirdly, punish the guilty, hold them criminally responsible and pay compensation to the Azerbaijani state, the injured passengers and crew members,” he said.
Aliyev noted that the first demand “has already been met” when Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to him on Saturday. Putin called the accident a “tragic incident,” although he stopped short of acknowledging Moscow's responsibility.
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He said an investigation into the accident was underway and that “the final version (of events) will be known after the black boxes are opened.”
He noted that Azerbaijan had always been “in favor of a group of international experts” investigating the crash and had “categorically rejected” Russia's suggestion that the Interstate Aviation Committee, which oversees civil aviation in the Commonwealth of Independent States, do so. would investigate.
“It is no secret that this organization is made up primarily of Russian officials and headed by Russian citizens. The factors of objectivity could not be fully guaranteed here,” Aliyev said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state media on Sunday that Putin had spoken to Aliyev by phone again, but did not provide details of the conversation.
The Kremlin also said a joint Russian, Azerbaijani and Kazakh investigation was underway at the crash site near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan. The plane was flying from Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, to Grozny when it turned toward Kazakhstan, hundreds of kilometers across the Caspian Sea from its intended destination, and crashed while attempting to land.
Passengers and crew who survived the crash told Azerbaijani media that they heard loud noises on the plane as it flew over Grozny.
Dmitry Yadrov, head of Russia's civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia, said on Friday that as the plane prepared to land in Grozny in deep fog, Ukrainian drones were targeting the city, prompting authorities to close the area. to air traffic.
This is the second fatal civil aviation accident related to fighting in Ukraine. Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down by a Russian surface-to-air missile, killing all 298 people on board, while flying over the area of eastern Ukraine controlled by Moscow-backed separatists in 2014.
Russia has denied responsibility, but in 2022 a Dutch court convicted two Russians and a pro-Russian Ukrainian for their role in shooting down the plane with an air defense system brought to Ukraine from a Russian military base.
© 2024 The Canadian Press