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Azerbaijan’s president says crashed jetliner was shot down by Russia unintentionally

People mourn during a funeral of the crew members of the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 killed in a deadly plane crash in Kazakhstan this week, at the II Alley of Honor in Baku, Azerbaijan, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP photo)

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said Sunday that the Azerbaijani airliner that crashed last week was shot down by Russia, albeit unintentionally, and criticized Moscow for trying to “hush up” the issue for days.

"We can say with complete clarity that the plane was shot down by Russia. (...) We are not saying that it was done intentionally, but it was done,” he told Azerbaijani state television.

Aliyev said that the airliner, which crashed Wednesday in Kazakhstan, was hit by fire from the ground over Russia and “rendered uncontrollable by electronic warfare." Aliyev accused Russia of trying to “hush up” the issue for several days, saying he was “upset and surprised” by versions of events put forward by Russian officials.

“Unfortunately, for the first three days we heard nothing from Russia except delirious versions,” he said.

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