The Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated in an interview with Musavat that the Azerbaijani Airlines (AZAL) plane that crashed in Aktau was damaged by ground fire. According to him, the plane was hit from the ground, which led to its damage. Aliyev emphasized that the final conclusions will be drawn after analyzing the data from the black boxes, but there are already facts that confirm the initial versions. He noted:
“In fact, the Azerbaijani civilian aircraft was damaged on the territory of Russia from the outside. We also know that our plane was made uncontrollable with the help of electronic warfare. This is the first damage that occurred to the aircraft, and in addition, the tail of the plane was severely damaged by the ground fire.”
The Azerbaijani President also stated that the crash of the plane in Aktau is not the result of a deliberate action. According to him, the investigations have not revealed any signs of sabotage or external interference. He emphasized:
“We are confident that the incident is a tragic accident and not the result of an attack or an attack.”
At the same time, Aliyev said that Russia must take responsibility and publicly apologize for the situation with the plane. He added:
“First, the Russian side should apologize to Azerbaijan. Second, it should admit its guilt. Third, it must punish the responsible individuals, bring them to justice, and pay compensation to the Azerbaijani state, as well as to the injured passengers and crew members. These are our conditions.”
The Azerbaijani President stated that the first condition was already met the previous day.
“More information to follow..