A day after Russia admitted its role behind the Kazakhstan plane crash, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev that the Azerbaijani airliner that crashed last week was shot down by Russia, albeit unintentionally while criticizing Moscow for trying to “hush up” the issue for days.
The crash killed 38 of 67 people on board. The Kremlin on Saturday said that air defence systems were firing near Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian Republic of Chechnya, where the plane attempted to land, to deflect a Ukrainian drone strike.
What did the president od Azerbaijan say?
"We can say with complete clarity that the plane was shot down by Russia. (...) We are not saying that it was done intentionally, but it was done,” the president told Azerbaijani state television while adding that the aircraft "was hit by fire from the ground over Russia" and “rendered uncontrollable by electronic warfare."
The president further accused Russia over an alleged attempt to "hush up" the issue for several days, saying he was “upset and surprised” by versions of events put forward by Russian officials.
“Unfortunately, for the first three days we heard nothing from Russia except delirious versions,” he said.
Azerbaijan's three demands
Aliyev said Azerbaijan made three demands to Russia in connection with the crash.
“First, the Russian side must apologise to Azerbaijan. Second, it must admit its guilt. Third, punish the guilty, bring them to criminal responsibility and pay compensation to the Azerbaijani state, the injured passengers and crew members,” he said.
Aliyev noted that the first demand was “already fulfilled” when Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to him on Saturday. Putin called the crash a “tragic incident" though stopped short of acknowledging Moscow's responsibility.
Kremlin gets in touch with Azerbaijan
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state media on Sunday that Putin had spoken to Aliyev over the phone again, but did not provide details of the conversation.
The Kremlin also said a joint investigation by Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan has begun at the crash site near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan.
About the plane crash
The plane was flying from Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, to Grozny when it turned toward Kazakhstan, hundreds of kilometers (miles) across the Caspian Sea from its intended destination, and crashed while making an attempt to land.
Passengers and crew who survived the crash told Azerbaijani media that they heard loud noises on the aircraft as it was circling over Grozny. Dmitry Yadrov, head of Russia's civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia, said Friday that as the plane was preparing to land in Grozny in deep fog, Ukrainian drones were targeting the city, prompting authorities to close the area to air traffic.
(With AP inputs)
