LONDON — Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated on Sunday that the Azerbaijan Airways aircraft that crashed in Kazakhstan on Wednesday “was broken from exterior on Russian territory.”
The investigation into the lethal Christmas Day crash is ongoing. The Embraer 190 plane was touring from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Russia, however crashed close to Aktau, Kazakhstan, killing 38 folks.
On Sunday, Aliyev instructed state tv channel AzTV that whereas the aircraft’s flight recorder knowledge remains to be being analyzed, an image of the incident is rising.
“The information are that the Azerbaijani civilian aircraft was broken from exterior on Russian territory, close to the town of Grozny, and virtually misplaced management,” he stated, citing fireplace from the bottom for severe injury to the tail part of the plane and obvious shrapnel holes in its fuselage.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev attends an interview at Heydar Aliyev Worldwide Airport exterior Baku, Azerbaijan, on Dec. 29, 2024.
President Of Azerbaijan/by way of Reuters
“We additionally know that our aircraft was rendered uncontrollable by digital warfare,” Aliyev added.
Survivors from the crash instructed ABC Information that they heard and felt explosions exterior the plane through the flight, after which the aircraft appeared to lose management.
Aliyev stated he didn’t imagine the injury was intentional, although he expressed remorse that Russian authorities put ahead alternate theories for the crash within the fast aftermath. “This brazenly confirmed that the Russian facet needs to hush up the problem and this, in fact, does nobody credit score,” he stated.
Early explanations for the crash included a collision with birds and heavy fog within the space. Some Russian media organizations additionally steered Ukrainian drones collided with the aircraft throughout their assault on targets in Chechnya, which was ongoing on the time.
Aliyev referred to as on Russia to confess guilt and apologize. “Sadly, for the primary three days we heard nothing from Russia besides loopy variations,” the president stated.
On this picture taken from a video launched by the administration of Mangystau area, part of Azerbaijan Airways’ Embraer 190 lies on the bottom close to the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Dec. 26, 2024.
AP
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Aliyev on Saturday. In line with a Kremlin readout, Putin apologized for the incident with out explicitly admitting culpability.
Putin “apologized for the tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace and as soon as once more expressed his deep and honest condolences to the households of the victims and wished a speedy restoration to the injured,” the readout stated.
“At the moment, Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz have been being attacked by Ukrainian unmanned aerial automobiles, and Russian air defence methods repelled these assaults,” it added.
White Home nationwide safety communications adviser John Kirby instructed reporters Friday that there are “early indications” that the aircraft might have been introduced down by Russian air protection methods, however added that the investigation is ongoing.
ABC Information’ Dragana Jovanovic, Ines de la Cuetara, Ellie Kaufman and Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.
