Plane that crashed in Kazakhstan hit by ‘ground fire’: Azerbaijani president

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said Sunday that the passenger plane which crashed last week near the Kazakh city of Aktau had been damaged by “ground fire.”

Speaking to Azerbaijani television, Aliyev said initial work on the cause of the deadly crash had begun, but a fuller answer would emerge after an examination of the aircraft’s black boxes.

“The facts indicate that the Azerbaijani civilian plane was damaged from the outside over Russian territory, near the city of Grozny, and almost lost control. We also know that means of electronic warfare put our plane out of control,” he said. “At the same time, as a result of weapons fire from the ground, the tail of the plane was also severely damaged.”

Aliyev added that, based on the many holes on the plane’s fuselage, the theory of the plane colliding with a flock of birds had been “completely ruled out.”

Black box of Azerbaijan crashed plane sent to Brazil for investigation, say Kazakh authorities pic.twitter.com/MGuf8y30DP

— Türkiye Today (@turkiyetodaycom) December 29, 2024

Aliyev later called the theory of an explosion on board the plane, put forth by Russia, “regrettable and surprising,” claiming that this shows Moscow is attempting a cover-up.

“There can be no talk of a deliberate act of terror causing the crash,” Aliyev said. “The details of the accident will be fully investigated.”

Azerbaijan’s expectations from Russia

On what Azerbaijan expects from Russia, Aliyev said they had told Moscow that they first wanted a formal apology.

“Secondly, it must acknowledge its guilt. Thirdly, those responsible must be punished, brought to criminal responsibility, and compensation must be paid to the Azerbaijani state, to the injured passengers and crew members. These are our conditions,” he said.

Later in the day, Aliyev signed a decree awarding the three crew members killed in the crash, including the two pilots, the title of National Hero of Azerbaijan. The two injured crew members received the Rashadat Order.

The crash occurred Wednesday when an Azerbaijan Airlines flight, en route from Baku to Grozny in Russia’s Chechen Republic, crashed 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from Aktau on the Caspian Sea coast. Kazakh authorities said 38 people were killed, while 29 survived. Investigations into the incident are ongoing.

Initial statements suggested a bird collision may have caused the crash, but footage from the site revealed large holes in the tail section of the aircraft, leading to speculation of a possible attack.

Senior Azerbaijani officials confirmed to Anadolu that the crash was caused by a Russian missile system.

On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with Aliyev, during which he apologized for the incident occurring in Russian airspace and offered his condolences.