Azerbaijan's president says Russia unintentionally shot down jetliner that crashed in Kazakhstan
The president of Azerbaijan said Sunday that the passenger plane that crashed last week, killing 38 people, was unintentionally shot down by the Russian military. He also accused Russia of trying to "hush up" the issue for several days.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev told state television on Sunday that the Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 was "shot down by accident."
"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," he said.
He added that the plane had come under some sort of electrical jamming and had been shot at while it was approaching the southern Russian city of Grozny.
Aliyev accused Russia of trying to "hush up" the issue for several days, saying he was "upset and surprised" by versions of events put forward by Russian officials.
"Unfortunately, in the first three days we heard only absurd versions from Russia," Aliyev said, citing statements made in Russia that attributed the crash to birds or the explosion of some sort of gas cylinder.
"We witnessed clear attempts to cover up the matter," said the Azerbaijani leader, who has close ties to Russia.
The Azerbaijani plane was flying from the capital city of Baju to Grozny on Wednesday when it diverted off course. It crashed while trying to reach another airport in Aktau, in western Kazakhstan.
Cellphone footage appears to show the aircraft making a steep descent before hitting the ground and exploding in a fireball about two miles from the Aktau airport.
The airline said 67 people were on board — 62 passengers and five crew members — and 38 people died in the crash. There were 29 survivors.
Aliyev said Azerbaijan made three demands to Russia in connection with the crash.
"First, the Russian side must apologize 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 his Azerbaijani counterpart for Wednesday's "tragic incident [that] occurred in Russian airspace."
The Kremlin said that air defense 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.
A Kremlin statement did not say Russia had shot down the plane, only noting it launched a criminal probe into the incident.
Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan was always "in favor of a group of international experts" investigating the crash, and had "categorically refused" Russia's suggestion that the Interstate Aviation Committee, which oversees civil aviation in the Commonwealth of Independent States, investigate it.
"It is no secret that this organization consists mostly of Russian officials and is headed by Russian citizens. The factors of objectivity could not be fully ensured here," Aliyev said.
On Friday, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that U.S. officials "have seen some early indications that would certainly point to the possibility that this jet was brought down by Russian air defense systems."
He confirmed that the U.S. has intelligence or information pointing to the possibility but said Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are currently conducting the investigation and the U.S. will "respect that process."
Passengers and crew who survived the crash told Azerbaijani media that they heard loud noises on the aircraft as it was circling over Grozny.
