Aliyev on the causes of the plane crash in Aktau – the plane was fired from the ground

The Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Aktau was damaged from the ground near Grozny, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in an interview with Azerbaijani television:

“The initial versions are quite reasonable and based on facts. The facts, on the other hand, indicate that the Azerbaijani civilian aircraft was damaged externally near the city of Grozny in Russia and actually lost control. We also know that our aircraft was rendered unusable by electronic warfare. This is the first damage to the aircraft. At the same time, the tail section of the aircraft was also heavily damaged by fire from the ground. One of the things that upset and surprised us was that Russian official structures put forward versions of the explosion of some kind of gas cylinder. That is, it openly showed that the Russian side wants to hush up the issue, and this, of course, does no honor to anyone.”

Stressing that the plane was not shot down on purpose, Aliyev said, as quoted by the Azerbaijani publication Caliber:

“Admit your guilt, promptly apologize to Azerbaijan, which is considered a friendly country, and convey this to the public – all these were measures and steps that needed to be taken. Unfortunately, for the first three days we heard nothing but delusional versions from Russia.”

The President of Azerbaijan emphasized that final conclusions can be drawn after deciphering the black boxes. The details of the plane crash in Aktau will be fully investigated, Aliyev said: “I have no doubt about it.” He added that the pilots showed professionalism and heroism while controlling the out-of-control aircraft.

Let us remind you that yesterday Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized before Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for the fact that “the tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace.”

Regarding the version of those responsible for the crash of the birds, Aliyev said:

“The Russian side officially invited us to investigate this case by the Interstate Aviation Committee. We categorically refused this. The reason is clear. Because it is no secret that this institute consists mainly of Russian officials, and the institute is headed by Russian citizens. Objectivity factors may not be fully satisfied here. If we had seen fair and adequate steps taken by Russia immediately after the accident, perhaps we would not have objected. But we have seen that there are obvious attempts to hide this issue. The injuries caused to passengers and crew by shrapnel that entered the aircraft are obvious. Attributing this to some birds or describing it as an explosion of a gas cylinder is both stupid and dishonest.”

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