"Idiotic versions"

Aliyev demands admission of guilt from Moscow

Ilham Aliyev

(Bild: APA/Azerbaijani Presidential Press Office)

Following the crash of an Azerbaijani passenger plane with 38 fatalities, President Ilham Aliyev is demanding a clear admission of guilt from Russia. The plane had been shot at from the ground, Aliyev said in an interview on state television AzTV. 

He did not assume that the Russian air defense had deliberately wanted to hit the Embraer. However, certain Russian circles had tried to cover up the cause of the crash.

Electronic systems probably jammed from the ground 
"It is clear that the final version will only be known after the black boxes have been analyzed," he said. But the facts already paint a picture. According to this, the plane lost control in the Grozny area over the Russian republic of Chechnya because its electronic systems were disrupted from the ground. "This is the first damage inflicted on the plane." The plane was then hit by direct fire.

(Bild: AP/Kazakhstan's Emergency Ministry Press Service)

The plane was apparently hit by Russian air defense fire on Wednesday as it approached Grozny. At the time, the region was under attack from Ukrainian threats, as the Russian authorities later admitted. The plane was denied an emergency landing in Russia and continued eastwards over the Caspian Sea. The crash during an attempted emergency landing near the Kazakh coastal town of Aktau killed 38 people, 29 survived.

Aliyev demands clear admission of guilt
"Unfortunately, we have heard nothing but idiotic versions from Russia in the first three days," Aliyev continued. In addition to a clear admission of guilt, he demanded that Russia punish those responsible and pay compensation - even after the apology from Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin 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 openly showed that the Russian side wanted to cover up the issue, and of course that does no one any credit."

Aliyev bid farewell to the victims of the disaster, including three crew members, at the airport in Baku. He praised the courage and professionalism of the pilots who had steered the plane to Kazakhstan for an attempted emergency landing.