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Azerbaijan’s president says crashed jetliner was shot down by Russia, albeit not intentionally

Azerbaijan's president says crashed jetliner was shot down by Russia, albeit not intentionally | iNFOnews.ca
FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev attend a meeting with railway industry veterans and workers to mark the 50th anniversary of the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM) construction at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Monday, April 22, 2024. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)
Original Publication Date: December 29, 2024 4:29AM
Publication Updated: April 11, 2025 3:11AM

MOSCOW (AP) — Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said Sunday that the Azerbaijani airliner that crashed last week was shot down by Russia, albeit unintentionally.

Aliyev told Azerbaijani state television the aircraft was hit by fire from the ground over Russia and rendered uncontrollable by electronic warfare. He said that the jet wasn’t shot down deliberately, but accused Russia of trying to “hush up” the issue for several days.

The crash on Wednesday killed 38 of 67 people on board. 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.

Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to Aliyev on Saturday for what he called a “tragic incident” but stopped short of acknowledging Moscow’s responsibility.

Azerbaijan's president says crashed jetliner was shot down by Russia, albeit not intentionally | iNFOnews.ca
An Azerbaijan national flag, flowers and candles are seen at the wall of the apartment building in memory of a pilot Alexander Kalyanina, one of victims who died in the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 crash near the Kazakhstan’s airport of Aktau, in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (AP Photo)
Azerbaijan's president says crashed jetliner was shot down by Russia, albeit not intentionally | iNFOnews.ca
Workers carry a coffin with a body of a victim from a plane after the Azerbaijani Airlines crashed, near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau, upon their arrival at the Heydar Aliyev International Airport outside Baku, Azerbaijan, on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (AP Photo)

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