Now World ViewIn a dramatic escalation, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has directly accused Russia of accidentally shooting down a passenger plane on Christmas Day, killing 38 people. Aliyev alleges that Russia is attempting to cover up the true cause of the crash, which he claims was caused by Russian air defenses.
“We can clearly say today that the plane was shot down by Russia. This is a fact,” Aliyev declared in a televised interview. He emphasized that while he believes the incident was unintentional, it undeniably occurred.
The Azerbaijan Airlines plane was en route to Chechnya when it suffered an emergency and crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan. While Russian authorities initially blamed a bird strike, they later shifted their narrative, citing Ukrainian drones and dense fog. However, evidence of perforations on the plane’s fuselage, consistent with shrapnel or debris, strongly suggests it was struck by a Russian air defense system. A US official further corroborated this theory to Now World View.
Aliyev pointed to the “riddled” fuselage as irrefutable evidence against the bird strike theory. He suggested that the pilot might have initially attributed the damage to a bird collision due to the unimaginable scenario of being fired upon while flying over friendly territory.
The Azerbaijani president stated that the plane was damaged over Russian airspace, with “means of electronic warfare” causing it to lose control. He also revealed that the plane’s tail sustained severe damage from ground fire.
Further fueling suspicions of a cover-up, Russian authorities initially claimed an oxygen tank explosion caused the crash. Aliyev dismissed this as another attempt to mislead the public.
mislead the public.While Russian President Vladimir Putin offered a phone call apology to Aliyev, acknowledging the incident occurred in Russian airspace, he stopped short of admitting responsibility. Putin reportedly stated that Russian air defenses were active at the time.
Azerbaijan has vehemently rejected Russia’s proposed investigation by the Interstate Aviation Committee, citing its close ties to the Russian government. Aliyev demanded a full admission of guilt and a sincere apology from Russia.
“Admitting guilt, apologizing in a timely manner to Azerbaijan, which is considered a friendly country, and informing the public about this – these were measures and steps that should have been taken,” Aliyev emphasized. He lamented the initial three days of “absurd theories” from Russia instead of a forthright acknowledgment of responsibility.
This accusation has significantly escalated tensions between Azerbaijan and Russia. The incident has raised serious questions about the safety of civilian air travel and the transparency of Russian authorities.
