Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev accused Russia on Sunday of shooting down an Azerbaijan Airlines jet that crashed this week, killing 38 of the 67 people onboard, and urged Moscow to accept “guilt” for the disaster.
Aliyev said the civilian plane was struck “by accident” over Russian territory near Grozny, losing control after being hit and sustaining severe damage to its tail from ground fire. He also claimed electronic warfare systems contributed to the crash.
While Russian President Vladimir Putin apologised on Saturday, he did not confirm the plane was hit by Russian fire.
Aliyev criticised Moscow for presenting theories that “covered up” the incident, calling for transparency and a public apology to Azerbaijan.
Russia has suggested Ukrainian drone attacks in Grozny that day might be linked to the crash, but speculation persists that Russian forces mistakenly downed the plane.
