Plane crash: After crash: Aliyev demands admission of guilt from Moscow

After the crash of the Azerbaijani passenger plane with 67 people on board, President Ilham Aliyev in Baku is demanding a clear admission of guilt from Russia. The plane was shot at from the ground in Russian airspace over the Chechen city of Grozny, Aliyev said in an interview with Azerbaijani state television AzTV. However, he does not assume that the Russian anti-aircraft defense intentionally wanted to hit the Embraer. However, certain Russian circles tried to cover up the cause of the crash.

“It is clear that the final version will only be known after the black boxes have been evaluated,” he said. But the facts are already starting to paint a picture. Accordingly, the aircraft lost control capability in the Grozny area because radio-electronic means were also used on the ground. “This is the first damage that has been inflicted on the aircraft.” Direct fire then hit the machine.

In the crash near the Kazakh city of Aktau on the Caspian Sea on Wednesday, 38 people were killed and 29 survived.

Aliyev demands a clear admission of guilt

“Unfortunately, we have heard nothing but idiotic versions from Russia in the first three days,” Aliyev continued. In addition to a clear admission of guilt, he demanded that Russia punish those responsible and pay compensation – even after Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin’s apology the day before.

“One of the things that frustrated and surprised us was that Russian officials spread the version of a gas balloon explosion,” he said. “In other words, this openly showed that the Russian side wanted to hush up the issue, and of course that doesn’t do anyone any credit.”

Aliyev said goodbye to the victims of the disaster at the airport in Baku, including three crew members. He praised the courage and professionalism of the pilots who piloted the plane to Kazakhstan for an emergency landing.