After an Azerbaijani passenger plane crashed, killing 38, President Ilham Aliyev is demanding a clear admission of guilt from Russia. The plane was fired upon from the ground, Aliyev said in an interview with state television AzTV.
He does not assume that the Russian anti-aircraft defense deliberately wanted to hit the Embraer. However, certain Russian circles tried to cover up the cause of the crash.
Electronic systems probably disrupted from the ground
“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 over the Russian Republic of Chechnya due to disruption of ground-based electronic systems. “This is the first damage done to the aircraft.” Direct fire hit the aircraft.
The plane was likely hit by Russian air defense fire as it approached Grozny on Wednesday. At that time, the region was under attack by Ukrainian threats, as Russian authorities later admitted. Denied an emergency landing in Russia, the plane flew further east over the Caspian Sea. The crash during an attempted emergency landing near the Kazakh coastal town of Aktau killed 38 people and 29 survived.
Aliyev demands a clear admission of guilt
“Unfortunately, in the first three days we only heard idiotic versions from Russia,” 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.
“Frustrated and surprised” by attempted cover-up
“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 blatantly showed that the Russian side wanted to cover up the issue, and of course that doesn’t do anyone justice.”
Aliyev said goodbye to the victims of the disaster, including three crew members, at Baku airport. He praised the courage and professionalism of the pilots who guided the plane to Kazakhstan for an emergency landing attempt.
Source: Krone
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