Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev mentioned Sunday that the Azerbaijani airliner that crashed final week was shot down by Russia, albeit unintentionally, and criticized Moscow for making an attempt to “hush up” the problem for days.
“We can say with full readability that the aircraft was shot down by Russia. (…) We aren’t saying that it was carried out deliberately, nevertheless it was carried out,” he instructed Azerbaijani state tv.
Aliyev mentioned that the airliner, which crashed Wednesday in Kazakhstan, was hit by fireplace from the bottom over Russia and “rendered uncontrollable by digital warfare.” Aliyev accused Russia of making an attempt to “hush up” the problem for a number of days, saying he was “upset and shocked” by variations of occasions put ahead by Russian officers.
“Unfortunately, for the primary three days we heard nothing from Russia besides delirious variations,” he mentioned.
The crash killed 38 of 67 folks on board. The Kremlin mentioned that air protection techniques have been firing close to Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, the place the aircraft tried to land, to deflect a Ukrainian drone strike.
Aliyev mentioned Azerbaijan made three calls for to Russia in reference to the crash.
“First, the Russian facet should apologize to Azerbaijan. Second, it should admit its guilt. Third, punish the responsible, deliver them to prison accountability and pay compensation to the Azerbaijani state, the injured passengers and crew members,” he mentioned.
Aliyev famous that the primary demand was “already fulfilled” when Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to him on Saturday. Putin referred to as the crash a “tragic incident” although stopped in need of acknowledging Moscow’s accountability.
He mentioned that an investigation into the crash was ongoing, and that “the ultimate model (of occasions) will likely be identified after the black packing containers are opened.”
He famous that Azerbaijan was all the time “in favor of a bunch of worldwide consultants” investigating the crash, and had “categorically refused” Russia’s suggestion that the Interstate Aviation Committee, which oversees civil aviation within the Commonwealth of Independent States, examine it.
“It isn’t any secret that this group consists largely of Russian officers and is headed by Russian residents. The elements of objectivity couldn’t be totally ensured right here,” Aliyev mentioned.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov instructed Russian state media on Sunday that Putin had spoken to Aliyev over the cellphone once more, however didn’t present particulars of the dialog.
The Kremlin additionally mentioned a joint investigation by Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan was underway on the crash web site close to the town of Aktau in Kazakhstan. The aircraft was flying from Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, to Grozny when it turned towards Kazakhstan, tons of of kilometers (miles) throughout the Caspian Sea from its meant vacation spot, and crashed whereas attempting to land.
Passengers and crew who survived the crash instructed Azerbaijani media that they heard loud noises on the plane because it was circling over Grozny.
Dmitry Yadrov, head of Russia’s civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia, mentioned Friday that because the aircraft was getting ready to land in Grozny in deep fog, Ukrainian drones have been focusing on the town, prompting authorities to shut the world to air visitors.
The crash is the second deadly civil aviation accident linked to preventing in Ukraine. Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was downed with a Russian surface-to-air missile, killing all 298 folks aboard, because it flew over the world in jap Ukraine managed by Moscow-backed separatists in 2014.
Russia has denied accountability, however a Dutch court in 2022 convicted two Russians and a pro-Russia Ukrainian man for his or her function in downing the aircraft with an air protection system introduced into Ukraine from a Russian navy base.
