Crash in Kazakhstan: the plane was targeted by “fire” from Russia according to the Azerbaijani president

The Azerbaijani President said on December 29, 2024 that the plane that crashed in Kazakhstan on Wednesday was targeted by “fire” from Russian territory.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said Sunday that the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed Wednesday in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people, was targeted by “fire” from Russian territory, while the possibility of a Russian anti-aircraft missile seems to be confirmed.

Damaged from outside

“The facts are that the Azerbaijani civilian aircraft was damaged from the outside over Russian territory […] the tail of the aircraft was seriously damaged by ground fire,” Aliyev said in a televised interview, carried by the Azertag news agency. He also said that the aircraft had been rendered “uncontrollable” by military electronic jamming means.

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Ilham Aliyev said that the various versions of events put forward by Russia after the crash “clearly show that the Russian side wanted to hush up the case.” “Admitting guilt, apologizing in due time to Azerbaijan, which is considered a friendly country, and informing the public about it are all measures and steps that should have been taken,” he said on national television, according to the state agency Azertag.

Vladimir Putin admits intervention during drama

Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted Saturday, according to the Kremlin, that the air defense Russian aircraft was in action on Wednesday as an Azerbaijani plane attempted to land, crashing shortly afterward in Kazakhstan.

M. Putin noted in a telephone conversation with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev that “the Azerbaijani airliner had tried several times to land at Grozny airport. At the same time, Grozny , Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were attacked by Ukrainian combat drones, and Russian air defenses repelled these attacks”.

Russian President did not, however, indicate whether the plane had been hit by these defenses. Since Wednesday's disaster, suspicion has been falling on Russia, which may have accidentally shot down the plane.