Azerbaijan
’s President Ilham Aliyev condemned Russia
for mistakenly shooting down Azerbaijan Airlines
flight 8432 on Christmas Day, which led to the tragic crash in Kazakhstan
that killed 38 people. Aliyev’s remarks, made during an interview with Azerbaijani state television on Sunday, Reuters reported, marked a significant escalation in the diplomatic fallout surrounding the disaster.
Passengers claimed to have heard a huge explosion during the flight, which was traveling from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Russia. The aircraft then swerved hundreds of kilometers off course and crashed close to Aktau, Kazakhstan. In his interview, Aliyev stated that the plane was hit by gunfire from the ground in Russian airspace and that electronic warfare systems rendered the aircraft uncontrollable.
Photo: Azerbaijan Airlines
Accusations of a cover-up
While recognizing that the plane’s downing was unintentional, Aliyev was clear in his condemnation of Russia’s early response, accusing Moscow of seeking to hide the actual cause of the incident. “For the first three days, we heard nothing from Russia except for absurd theories,” Aliyev said, referring to early Russian suggestions that the crash might have been caused by a bird strike or an explosion from a gas cylinder on board.
The Azerbaijani president emphasized that the incident should have been handled with transparency and timely accountability, Politico reported.
“There can be no talk of a deliberate act of terror here. Therefore, admitting the guilt, apologizing in a timely manner to Azerbaijan, which is considered a friendly country, and informing the public about this—all these were measures and steps that should have been taken,” he said.
Related
EL AL Suspends Flights To Moscow Over Russian Airspace Developments After Azerbaijan Airlines Crash
Airlines are becoming cautious after signs pointed toward Russian air defense playing a part in the crash.
Aliyev’s confirmation that the crash was caused by Russian air defense systems comes just a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to the Azerbaijani leader in a phone call but stopped short of taking full responsibility for the incident. Putin described the crash as a “tragic incident” but argued that the downing was accidental, according to Reuters, claiming that Russian air defense systems were responding to Ukrainian drone attacks near Grozny at the time.
The crash and its aftermath
67 people were on board the private Embraer 190
aircraft, Flight J28432, which departed Baku for Grozny on Wednesday. Approximately 280 miles from its planned destination, the plane crashed in Kazakhstan after deviating from its original trajectory following the reported explosion. The crash killed 38 of 67 people on board, and 29 survivors managed to escape the wreckage.
Photo: Azerbaijan Airlines
Further evidence that the aircraft was damaged by ground-based fire comes from investigations that showed that it was struck by external objects that hit the fuselage. Before the jet lost control, survivors reportedly reported hearing a huge boom. These results have supported Azerbaijan’s assertion that the crash was brought on by an unintentional Russian missile strike or air defense fire.
Aliyev said Azerbaijan made three demands to Russia in connection with the crash, NPR reported. These include an official apology, admission of guilt, and criminal accountability for those responsible, along with compensation for the victims and their families.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed to Russian state media on Sunday that Putin had called Aliyev once more, although he did not elaborate on the nature of the conversation.
The United States “has seen some early indications that would certainly point to the possibility that this jet was brought down by Russian air defense systems,” the White House added on Friday, but it would not go into further detail, citing an ongoing investigation, the Associated Press reported.
Similar incidents
The downing of Flight 8432 is yet another major aviation incident linked to the conflict in Ukraine
. The most famous occurred in 2014 when a Russian-made BUK missile struck Malaysia Airlines
MH17 over eastern Ukraine, killing 298 people. In that instance, evidence suggested that the missile was fired by rebels backed by Russia, although Russia denied culpability.
On January 8, 2020, two Iranian surface-to-air missiles shot down Ukraine International Airlines
flight 752 just minutes after it took off from Tehran, Iran.
