Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated on Sunday that the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane in Kazakhstan, which claimed 38 lives, was caused by gunfire from the ground in Russia. According to Azerbaijani state television, Aliyev emphasised that this shooting was a key factor behind the tragic incident.

Aliyev also expressed disappointment over efforts by some circles in Russia to conceal the truth surrounding the crash. He accused them of spreading false narratives about the cause of the incident, aiming to cover up the real reasons behind the disaster.

In response to the crash, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued an apology to Aliyev on Saturday. The Kremlin described the crash as a “tragic incident” and confirmed that it occurred after Russian air defences fired at Ukrainian drones, which inadvertently led to the plane’s downing.

On Friday, Azerbaijan Airlines had claimed that a “physical and technical interference” was responsible for the crash of one of its aircraft in Kazakhstan on December 25. They said this on the basis of the initial few results of an investigation into the crash.