Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has claimed that the plane that crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people, was fired upon by Russia. He also accused Russia of hiding the cause of the plane crash. Aliyev accused Moscow of trying to hide the cause of the crash, which occurred earlier this week. He insisted that Russia must admit its “guilt” in the disaster, claiming the plane was shot down accidentally.
“The fact is that the Azerbaijani civilian aircraft was damaged from outside over Russian territory near the city of Grozny and almost lost control. We also know that electronic warfare systems caused our aircraft to get out of control,” Aliyev told state media quoted by AFP news agency.
“Admitting guilt, apologizing in a timely manner to Azerbaijan, which is considered a friendly country, and informing the public about it – all of these were measures and steps that should have been taken,” he added.
The statement came on Sunday, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to Aliyev for the incident but did not accept responsibility.

Aliyev had previously informed Putin that the plane experienced “external physical and technical malfunctions” while flying over Russian airspace. The statement from the Azerbaijani Presidential Office said: “President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that the passenger plane of Azerbaijan Airlines encountered external interference in Russian airspace, which led to a complete loss of control.”
Some Azerbaijani officials reportedly said a Russian anti-aircraft missile may have caused the crash. In contrast, other reports speculated about Ukrainian involvement or attributed the crash to an accident, such as a bird strike.

What is known about the crash?

The plane, an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190, was en route from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Russia, when it unexpectedly diverted toward Kazakhstan, hundreds of kilometers across the Caspian Sea from its intended destination.
The plane crashed while attempting to land near Aktau, Kazakhstan, after flying hundreds of kilometers east. The crash occurred about two miles from shore, and cell phone footage appeared to show the plane plummeting before hitting the ground and exploding in a fireball. Despite the tragic incident, 29 survivors were rescued and taken to hospitals.
After the crash, the Azerbaijani government launched an investigation. International experts are now investigating the incident, but no further details have been released. The Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan confirmed that investigators are working in Grozny. On Friday, both a U.S. official and an Azerbaijani minister blamed the crash on an external weapon. Aviation experts noted that Russian air defense systems may have responded to a Ukrainian attack.