Azerbaijan’s president says plane that crashed was shot at from Russia

Emergency specialists work at the crash site of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet near the western Kazakh city of Aktau on December 25, 2024.

Issa Tazhenbayev | Afp | Getty Images

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Sunday that the passenger plane that crashed in Kazakhstan killing 38 people had been damaged due to shooting from the ground in Russia, Azerbaijan state television reported.

Aliyev said he regretted that “some circles” in Russia had tried to hush up the truth about the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines planes by sowing false narratives about the causes of the crash.

On Saturday, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin apologized to Aliyev for what the Kremlin called a “tragic incident” over Russia in which the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed after Russian air defenses were fired against Ukrainian drones.

This story is developing. Please check back for updates.

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