WNAM MONITORING: Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev revealed facts related to the AZAL aircraft crash on the Baku-Grozny route and demanded compensation from Russia.
According to the portal, on December 29, Ilham Aliyev participated in the farewell ceremony for crew members who died in the air crash in Aktau. Afterward, he gave an interview to Azerbaijan Television where he discussed details of the tragedy.
The publication notes that Azerbaijan’s president pointed to clear evidence that the aircraft was damaged by ground fire.
“The facts show that an Azerbaijani civilian aircraft was damaged externally in Russian territory near Grozny and practically lost control. We also know that our aircraft was rendered uncontrollable by electronic warfare means. This was the first damage inflicted on the aircraft,” President Ilham Aliyev was quoted as saying.
According to the president of Azerbaijan, examination of the aircraft fuselage wreckage in Aktau ruled out theories of “bird strike” or “oxygen tank explosion.”
President Aliyev emphasized that “of course, the aircraft was not shot down intentionally.”
“Now Baku demands that Moscow acknowledge responsibility, punish those responsible, and pay compensation. The Azerbaijani leader noted that many questions remain unclear regarding the air crash, and results from the investigation and black box data analysis are pending,” the publication states.
“For example, why couldn’t the aircraft land in Grozny? To what extent did electronic warfare systems affect aircraft control? How significant were the effects of the mid-air impact and explosion near the aircraft?” Ilham Aliyev said.
