An ally of Vladimir Putin has launched an unusual attack on Russia over its response to the Azerbaijan airliner plan crash which killed 38 people.
The plane was travelling in a north-west direction, from Azerbaijan’s Baku to Grozny in the Chechen republic of Russia, when it veered off course on Christmas Day.
It headed eastwards across the Caspian Sea before crashing in Kazakhstan, near Aktau. Just 29 people survived.
Amid speculation the plane was shot down by Russian air defences while engaging Ukrainian attack drones, the Russian president apologised on Saturday to Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev – but did not take responsibility.
Putin said he was sorry for the “tragic incident” and acknowledged that the plane had tried to land in southern Russia repeatedly.
But, he claimed that cities in the area – Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz – were “being attacked by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles and Russian air defence systems repelled these attacks”.
The Kremlin has not said it was responsible for the crash, but admitted a criminal case has been opened.
On Sunday, Aliyev – an ally to Moscow who was educated in Russia – took aim at the Kremlin’s response while speaking on state TV on Sunday.
He said the airliner was shot at while approaching Grozny, although he described it as an “accident”.
But, he continued: “In the first three days we heard only absurd versions from Russia.”
He said, “Russian agencies put forward versions [of events] about the explosion of some gas cylinder,” while others claimed the plane was damaged by a bird strike.
Aliyev described both theories as “foolish and dishonest”, according to the BBC.
“We witnessed clear attempts to cover up the matter,” he claimed.
Aliyev said Russia “must admit its guilt” over the issue, punish anyone responsible and pay compensation.
He added: “No one would have thought that in a country that is friendly to us, our plane would be fired at from the ground.”
He spoke to Putin on the phone on Sunday, according to the Kremlin, but offered no details on what was discussed.
Moscow tried to downplay any speculation in the immediate aftermath of the crash.
According to Russian state news agency TASS, Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters: “Currently an investigation is in progress. Any air incident should be investigated by specialised aviation authorities.
“It is necessary to wait for the end of this probe.”
“It would be wrong to build any hypotheses before the panel of inquiry presents its conclusions. Of course, we cannot do that. No one should do it,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia must “stop spreading disinformation” and that the damage to the plane – seen within the wreckage – was “very reminiscent of an air defence missile strike”.
Three crew members who helped to land the plane but who died in the crash were given distinguished honours by Azerbaijan for saving the lives of the 29 survivors.