Ilham Aliyev confirmed that the Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane crash occurred as a result of being fired upon from the ground by Russians. The President of Azerbaijan also expressed regret that „certain circles” in Russia attempted to cover up the matter.

The Embraer-190 crashed on Wednesday in Kazakhstan. It was flying from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to Grozny in southern Chechnya, but veered off course by hundreds of kilometers. The crash claimed 38 lives, and 29 others were hospitalized.

„We also know that the plane fell victim to electronic warfare devices,” Aliyev said, as quoted by the APA news agency, adding that the shelling was not deliberate.

„Russians must punish those responsible and compensate Azerbaijan and the victims”

„The Russian side must apologize to Azerbaijan. It must also admit guilt, hold the culprits criminally responsible, and pay compensation to the Azerbaijani state and the victims of the tragic flight,” the President of Azerbaijan stated.

„The Russian side suggested that the matter be investigated by the Interstate Aviation Committee, but we categorically refused. It is no secret that the organization mainly consists of Russian officials, and its leadership comprises Russian citizens,” he explained.

„These are our conditions, the first of which was met on Sunday. I hope the remaining ones will also be accepted,” Aliyev emphasized.

„We will only know all the details after opening the black boxes. Many questions remain unanswered to this day, but they will be clarified,” he assured.

Putin’s peculiar apology

Until now, no one had officially confirmed that the plane was downed by ground fire. Photos from the crash site suggested this from the very beginning, as the aircraft’s surface bore marks of missile strikes.

On Saturday, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin apologized to President Aliyev for what the Kremlin described as a „tragic incident.” Moscow claimed that Russian air defenses were responding to an attack by Ukrainian drones.