Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev accused Russia of carrying out an “absurd” cover-up after Russian air defense forces allegedly “shot down” a passenger plane last week.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologized for this weekend's “tragic incident,” but the Kremlin has not officially said that Russian air defenses shot down the plane. At least 38 people were killed in the incident.
“Our plane was shot down in an accident,” Aliyev told state television on Sunday. “Unfortunately, for the first three days we only heard the absurd version from Russia.”
“We witnessed a clear attempt to cover up this issue,” he added.
Azerbaijan Airlines blames 'external interference' for deadly plane crash as Russia speculation rises
Efforts are underway to collect evidence at the scene of the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) airliner near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on December 27, 2024. (Mayramgul Kusainova/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A Kremlin statement said the incident occurred after Russian air defenses engaged a Ukrainian attack drone, but did not specify that Russian forces had shot down the aircraft.
Ex-State Department official says what happened in Azerbaijan airline crash is 'very unclear'
Aliyev is a close ally of Putin's government, and the two spoke by phone on Sunday regarding the incident. Neither party has disclosed details of the conversation.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev leaves the polling station in Khankendi, Azerbaijan. (Azerbaijan Presidential Press Office, via Associated Press)
The crew and survivors of the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190-seater jet said they heard at least one loud bang before the plane crashed on Christmas Day.
Azerbaijan Airlines blames 'external interference' for deadly plane crash as Russia speculation rises
One of the passengers on Flight J2-8243, Sukhonkur Rakhimov, told Reuters from the hospital that after hearing the explosion, he said prayers and began preparing for the end.
The plane was en route from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to Grozny, a city in Russia's North Caucasus, the Associated Press reported. (Mangistau local administration)
“After the explosion…I thought the plane was going to fall apart,” Rakhimov told the magazine. “It was obvious that the plane had sustained some damage. It looked like it had been drunk and it was no longer the same plane.”
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“There were two explosions in the sky, and an hour and a half later the plane crashed to the ground,” said surviving passenger Vafa Shabanova.
Reuters contributed to this report.
