'Plane crash was caused by Russian missile'; Russia should accept responsibility and apologise, says Azerbaijan President

BAKU: Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev has alleged that the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane in Kazakhstan this week, which claimed 38 lives, was caused by a missile fired from Russia. He accused Russia of attempting to conceal the cause of the crash and demanded that Russia accept responsibility for the disaster.

Aliyev also alleged that Russia attempted to hide the true cause of the crash by spreading false information about the incident. He pointed out that Russia had put forward theories aimed at covering up its involvement in the disaster. The President called on Russia to acknowledge its role in the tragedy and issue an apology to Azerbaijan.

The other day, Russian President Vladimir Putin had apologised regarding the plane crash that occurred in Russian territory. However, he did not admit that the crash was caused by a Russian missile. It is believed that the plane was struck by a missile from a Russian air defence system before being redirected across the Caspian Sea towards Kazakhstan. US National Security Spokesperson John Kirby and Azerbaijan Minister Rashad Nabiyev also alleged that the plane was brought down by an external weapon.