The president of Azerbaijan accused Russia of covering up the plane crash “absurdly” and said that the plane was shot down
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has accused Russia of an “absurd” cover-up after the air defense forces allegedly “shot down” a passenger plane last week.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologized for the “tragic incident” this weekend, but the Kremlin has not officially said that Russian air defense forces shot down the plane. At least 38 people died as a result of the incident.
“Our plane was accidentally shot down,” Aliyev told state television on Sunday. “Unfortunately, in the first three days, we heard only absurd versions from Russia.”
“We have witnessed clear attempts to cover up the issue,” he added.
On December 27, 2024, near Aktau, Kazakhstan, evidence collection is underway at the site of the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) passenger plane. (Meiramgul Kussainova/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The Kremlin said in a statement that the incident occurred after Russian air defense forces made contact with Ukrainian drones, but did not make it clear that Russian forces shot down the plane.
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Aliyev is a close ally of the Putin regime, and the pair had a phone conversation about the incident on Sunday. None of the parties disclosed the details of the negotiations.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev left the polling station in Khankendi. (Press service of the President of Azerbaijan via AP)
Crew members and survivors of Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer 190 passenger plane say they heard at least one loud noise before the plane crashed on Christmas Day.
Subhonkul Rahimov, one of the passengers aboard flight J2-8243, told Reuters from the hospital that after hearing the sound, he started saying prayers and preparing for the end.
The Associated Press reports that the plane was flying from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus. (Mangystau Regional Administration)
“After the plane exploded… I thought the plane would fall apart,” Rahimov said at the speech. “It was obvious that the plane had been damaged in some way. It was like it was drunk – it’s not the same plane anymore.”
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Vafa Shabanova, the passenger who survived, said that “there were two explosions in the sky, and an hour and a half later the plane crashed.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
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