BAKU: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev accused Russia on Sunday (Dec 29) of firing at an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet earlier than it crashed and of initially making an attempt to cowl up the reason for the deadly catastrophe, demanding that Moscow admit guilt.
Aliyev made the accusation in an interview to state media at Baku airport 4 days after the AZAL airplane crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people of the 67 individuals on board.
Azerbaijani officers have urged the plane was hit by a Russian air-defence system because it tried to land in Grozny, capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya.
Aliyev’s unusually forthright accusation of his nation’s conventional ally got here a day after he spoke by cellphone to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A Kremlin assertion on the cellphone name gave no indication that Putin had claimed accountability for the crash.
“The info are that the Azerbaijani civilian airplane was broken from the surface over Russian territory, close to the town of Grozny, and virtually misplaced management,” Aliyev informed state tv.
“We additionally know that digital warfare programs put our airplane uncontrolled … On the similar time, because of fireplace from the bottom, the tail of the airplane was additionally severely broken,” he stated.
Aliyev stated that whereas “in fact, our airplane was hit accidentally”, Baku was indignant that Moscow had apparently tried to cover the reason for the crash and demanded its ally admit what occurred.
He stated it was “regrettable and stunning” that Moscow “put ahead theories” that, he stated, “clearly confirmed he Russian aspect wished to cowl up the problem”.
“For the primary three days, we heard nothing from Russia besides some absurd theories,” he stated, including that these included the airplane hitting a flock of birds.
He known as the speculation “fully eliminated” from actuality, declaring that the airplane’s “fuselage is riddled with holes”.
Russia has stated Grozny was being attacked by Ukrainian drones the day the AZAL flight tried to land.
