Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that the Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane that crashed on December 25 near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan was damaged by fire from Russian territory, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Aliev expressed regret that, in his opinion, “certain circles“ in Russia are trying to cover up the truth about the tragedy that killed 38 people. According to him, false versions are being spread about the causes of the crash.
Apology from the Russian President
Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to Aliyev yesterday for what happened, emphasizing that the tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace. According to the Kremlin press service, Putin explained that the plane attempted to land in Grozny while Russian air defense systems were activated due to a Ukrainian drone attack.
Continuing tensions
The incident puts additional strain on relations between Russia and Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani government is demanding a full investigation into what happened and clarity about the circumstances that led to the tragedy.
The development of the situation will be closely monitored both in the region and internationally, given the seriousness of the allegations.