Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has accused Russia of attempting to cover up the cause of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash that occurred on Christmas Day.
In an interview with Azerbaijani TV, Aliyev stated that the plane was accidentally shot down by Russian air defense systems.
He emphasized that “some circles” within Russia attempted to mislead the public by suggesting the crash was caused by a bird strike or an on-board gas explosion.
“In other words, this clearly showed that the Russian side wanted to cover up the issue,” Aliyev asserted.
This statement follows a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, where Putin apologized for the incident but did not explicitly accept responsibility.
Putin attributed the crash to the plane’s attempted landing in Grozny during Ukrainian drone attacks.
The civilian airliner, carrying passengers from Baku to Grozny, crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, killing 38 people.
Aliyev acknowledged the incident as accidental but criticized the initial Russian response, stating, “Unfortunately, for the first three days, we heard nothing from Russia except for some absurd theories.”
This incident has strained relations between the two countries, highlighting the complexities of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and its regional repercussions.