Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has stated that the passenger plane that crashed in Kazakhstan, claiming 38 lives, was struck by shelling originating from Russia. Azerbaijani state television AzTV reported the remarks on Sunday.
Aliyev expressed regret over what he described as attempts by certain Russian factions to obscure the truth about the Azerbaijan Airlines crash. According to Reuters, the Azerbaijani leader criticized Moscow for spreading false narratives about the incident.
“The Russian authorities should have promptly admitted their responsibility, issued an apology to Azerbaijan, and made this known to the public. Baku demands Moscow acknowledge guilt, hold those responsible accountable, and provide compensation,” Aliyev said during an interview with AzTV.
He further dismissed early claims suggesting the crash was caused by a collision with a flock of birds. “The fact that the fuselage was riddled with holes entirely rules out that version,” he noted.
Aliyev also criticized alternative explanations presented by Russian officials, such as a gas cylinder explosion, describing them as an attempt to downplay the issue. “Such claims only serve to tarnish the reputation of the Russian side,” he said.
While the final conclusions will depend on data from the plane’s black boxes, Aliyev stressed that initial evidence strongly indicates external damage to the Azerbaijani aircraft near Grozny, Russia. He also alleged that electronic warfare was used to destabilize the plane, leading to its crash.
However, the Azerbaijani president clarified that he does not believe the plane was deliberately shot down.
On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to Aliyev for what the Kremlin referred to as a “tragic incident” involving Russian air defenses targeting Ukrainian drones, which allegedly led to the crash.