The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has accused Russia of trying to cover up what he called an “absurd” situation after their air defenses supposedly “took down” a civilian aircraft last week.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his apologies for the “tragic event” over the weekend. However, the Kremlin has not officially confirmed that Russian air defense systems were responsible for downing the plane, which resulted in the loss of at least 38 lives.
During an interview on state television on Sunday, Aliyev stated, “Our aircraft was mistakenly shot down. Regrettably, during the initial three days following the incident, we only received nonsensical explanations from Russia.”
“We witnessed clear attempts to cover up the matter,” he added.
Subhonkul Rakhimov, one of the passengers aboard Flight J2-8243, told Reuters from the hospital that he had begun to recite prayers and prepare for the end after hearing a bang.
The plane was en route from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus, the Associated Press reports. (The Administration of Mangystau Region)
“After the bang… I thought the plane was going to fall apart,” Rakhimov told the outlet. “It was obvious that the plane had been damaged in some way. It was as if it was drunk – not the same plane anymore.”
Surviving passenger Vafa Shabanova said that there were “two explosions in the sky, and an hour and a half later the plane crashed to the ground.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
