Ukrainian foreign minister does not rule out possibility that Russian tried to hide downing of Azerbaijani plane
Pravda Ukraine
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has suggested that Russia was trying to hide the traces of the downing of the Azerbaijani passenger plane in the sea and called for a fair investigation into the crash. He has expressed condolences to Azerbaijan.
Source: Sybiha on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda
Quote from Sybiha: “It is noteworthy that Russian media lied about the cause of the crash, and that Russia forced the damaged jet to cross the sea, most likely in an attempt to conceal evidence of their crime.”
Details: Sybiha emphasised that as more images and videos from the plane and after the disaster emerge, the more evidence that the plane was damaged by the Russian anti-aircraft missile system.
“We call for a fair and impartial investigation to ensure that those responsible are held to account. We must not let Russia lie, avoid responsibility, or shift blame,” the Foreign Minister added.
Earlier, Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on Baku’s statement that Russia shot down the Azerbaijan Airlines plane.
Background:
- On 25 December, an Embraer aircraft of Azerbaijan Airlines en route from Baku to Grozny crashed near Aktau (the administrative centre of Kazakhstan’s Mangistau Oblast). According to Azerbaijan Airlines, 67 people were on board, including five crew members. Of these, 42 were citizens of Azerbaijan, 16 were Russians, 6 were Kazakhs, and 3 were Kyrgyz.
- The KazAeroNavigation company believes that the crash was caused by a bird strike and a steering failure. Russian media outlets also do not rule out the possibility that the plane could have changed course due to the threat of a drone attack on Chechnya. Early reports indicate that Grozny was attacked by several UAVs at that moment, which led to the announcement of the Kovyor (Carpet) plan at the city’s airport [A Kovyor plan is an airport operational safety procedure for airport services and personnel when an unidentified object appears in the sky – ed.].
- The crash killed 38 people, said Kanat Bozumbayev, Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and head of the state commission leading the investigation into the causes of the crash.
- The Ukrainian Centre for Countering Disinformation said that the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Kazakhstan was shot down by a Russian anti-aircraft missile system.
- According to Euronews sources, the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane flying from Baku to Grozny on 25 December was caused by a Russian surface-to-air missile that exploded nearby.
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