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Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev has accused Russia of mistakenly shooting down Azerbaijan Airlines flight 8432 on Christmas Day, resulting in a crash in Kazakhstan that killed 38 people. In an interview with Azerbaijani state television, as reported by Reuters, Aliyev condemned Russia's actions and criticized its initial response to the incident.
Passengers aboard the flight from Baku to Grozny claimed they heard a large explosion before the aircraft veered off course and crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan. Aliyev stated that gunfire from Russian airspace hit the plane and electronic warfare systems rendered it uncontrollable.
Aliyev expressed dissatisfaction with Russia's early explanations for the crash, which included theories of a bird strike or an onboard gas cylinder explosion. "For the first three days, we heard nothing from Russia except for absurd theories," he said. He emphasized the need for transparency and accountability in handling such incidents.
