'Certain circles in Kremlin...': Azerbaijan's president says plane that crashed was shot at from Russia
The Azerbaijan Airlines plane was en route from Baku to Grozny when it turned toward Kazakhstan and crashed while attempting to land on Wednesday.
- Dec 29, 2024,
- Updated Dec 29, 2024 7:21 PM IST
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has stated that a passenger plane that crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people, was damaged by gunfire from the ground in Russia, Azerbaijan's state television reported on Sunday.
The Azerbaijan Airlines plane was en route from Baku to Grozny when it turned toward Kazakhstan and crashed while attempting to land on Wednesday. The crash resulted in 38 fatalities and left 29 survivors injured.
Aliyev criticised "certain circles" in Russia for allegedly spreading misinformation about the cause of the crash.
"Our plane was shot down by accident," Aliyev told state television on Sunday, adding that the plane had come under some sort of electronic jamming and had then been shot at while it was approaching the southern Russian city of Grozny.
"Unfortunately, in the first three days we heard only absurd versions from Russia," Aliyev said, citing statements in Russia that attributed the crash to birds or the explosion of some sort of gas cylinder.
"We witnessed clear attempts to cover up the matter," said the Azerbaijani leader, who has close ties to Russia and was educated at one of Moscow's top universities. Aliyev said he wanted Russia to accept it was guilty of downing the plane and to punish those responsible for fatally damaging the aircraft.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Aliyev held another telephone call on Sunday, the Kremlin said. It gave no details but on Saturday it said that both civilian and military specialists were being questioned about what had taken place.
On Saturday, Putin apologised to Aliyev for what the Kremlin described as a "tragic incident" in which Russian air defenses were reportedly involved.
Sources with knowledge of the preliminary findings of Azerbaijan's investigation into the disaster told Reuters on Thursday that Russian air defences had mistakenly shot it down.
A US official stated on Friday that Russian air defense systems might have been responsible for bringing down the aircraft. An Azerbaijani minister also suggested the plane may have been hit by a weapon.
Survivors reported loud noises during the flight as it circled over Grozny. Flight attendant Aydan Rahimli described oxygen masks deploying after one such noise, and further noises were heard before the crash. Crew member Zulfugar Asadov reported sustaining injuries he described as consistent with an external impact on the plane.
Kazakh officials have claimed that an oxygen canister explosion caused the incident, but this was denied by Asadov.
(With inputs from Reuters, AP)
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has stated that a passenger plane that crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people, was damaged by gunfire from the ground in Russia, Azerbaijan's state television reported on Sunday.
The Azerbaijan Airlines plane was en route from Baku to Grozny when it turned toward Kazakhstan and crashed while attempting to land on Wednesday. The crash resulted in 38 fatalities and left 29 survivors injured.
Aliyev criticised "certain circles" in Russia for allegedly spreading misinformation about the cause of the crash.
"Our plane was shot down by accident," Aliyev told state television on Sunday, adding that the plane had come under some sort of electronic jamming and had then been shot at while it was approaching the southern Russian city of Grozny.
"Unfortunately, in the first three days we heard only absurd versions from Russia," Aliyev said, citing statements in Russia that attributed the crash to birds or the explosion of some sort of gas cylinder.
"We witnessed clear attempts to cover up the matter," said the Azerbaijani leader, who has close ties to Russia and was educated at one of Moscow's top universities. Aliyev said he wanted Russia to accept it was guilty of downing the plane and to punish those responsible for fatally damaging the aircraft.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Aliyev held another telephone call on Sunday, the Kremlin said. It gave no details but on Saturday it said that both civilian and military specialists were being questioned about what had taken place.
On Saturday, Putin apologised to Aliyev for what the Kremlin described as a "tragic incident" in which Russian air defenses were reportedly involved.
Sources with knowledge of the preliminary findings of Azerbaijan's investigation into the disaster told Reuters on Thursday that Russian air defences had mistakenly shot it down.
A US official stated on Friday that Russian air defense systems might have been responsible for bringing down the aircraft. An Azerbaijani minister also suggested the plane may have been hit by a weapon.
Survivors reported loud noises during the flight as it circled over Grozny. Flight attendant Aydan Rahimli described oxygen masks deploying after one such noise, and further noises were heard before the crash. Crew member Zulfugar Asadov reported sustaining injuries he described as consistent with an external impact on the plane.
Kazakh officials have claimed that an oxygen canister explosion caused the incident, but this was denied by Asadov.
(With inputs from Reuters, AP)