Topline
Russia accidentally downed an Azerbaijan Airlines flight on Christmas Day and then attempted to cover it up, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev claimed Sunday, though the cause of the deadly crash in Russian air space—killing 38 people—is still unknown.
Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized for the “tragic incident,” which left 38 people dead, ... [+]
Key Facts
The Azerbaijan Airlines plane was “hit by accident” while flying over Russian territory and there can be “no talk of a deliberate act of terror here,” Aliyev said, according to Azerbaijani outlet AZERTAC.
Aliyev said unspecified “electronic warfare systems put our plane out of control” while the plane’s tail was “severely damaged” by fire from the ground.
Some Russian agencies pushed multiple false theories about why the plane crashed—including the “explosion of some gas cylinder”—and “clearly showed” Russia wanted to cover up the incident, Aliyev claimed, adding: “The fact that the fuselage is riddled with holes indicates that the theory of the plane hitting a flock of birds, which was brought up by someone, is completely removed from the agenda.”
Russia should apologize for the crash and acknowledge its guilt, Aliyev said, calling for those responsible to be punished and suggesting “compensation must be paid” to Azerbaijan and the injured passengers and crew.
Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Aliyev spoke over the phone Sunday to discuss “various issues” related to the plane crash, according to the Russian state-run outlet Tass, though he did not specify.
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What We Don’t Know
What caused the Azerbaijan Airlines plane to crash. Surviving passengers told Reuters it was “obvious the plane had been damaged in some way” after hearing loud bangs as the flight neared Grozny, Russia. Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency initially blamed the crash on a combination of weather and the plane colliding with a flock of birds. U.S. National Security Spokesperson John Kirby said the U.S. has “seen some early indications” pointing to the “possibility that this jet was brought down by Russian air defense systems.”
What Has Russia Said About The Crash?
In an earlier phone call to Aliyev, Putin “apologized for the fact that the tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace,” according to the Kremlin. Putin acknowledged the Russian military was firing at Ukrainian drones at the plane’s planned destination at the time of the crash, though he did not say they shot down the plane.
Key Background
Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 crashed in Kazakhstan while en route to Grozny, Russia, from Baku, Azerbaijan, on Christmas Day. There were 62 passengers and five crew members on board, 29 of whom survived, though many had critical injuries. A preliminary investigation by Azerbaijan Airlines suggested the plane crashed “due to external physical and technical interference,” while other evidence suggests there was “external interference” with the flight. Some aviation experts placed blame on Russia, claiming Russia mistakenly shot down the flight while targeting Ukrainian drones around Grozny. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia have each said they are separately investigating the crash.
