Crashed jetliner was shot down by Russia: Azeri prez

"Unfortunately, in the first three days we heard only absurd versions from Russia. We witnessed clear attempts to cover up the matter." ILHAM ALIYEV, Azerbaijani President

- Reuters

BAKU/MOSCOW: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Sunday that a passenger plane that crashed last week, killing 38 people, had been damaged by accidental shooting from the ground in Russia, adding that some in Russia had lied about the cause of the disaster.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday apologized to Aliyev for Wednesday's "tragic incident" in Russian airspace involving Azerbaijan Airlines Flight J2-8243 after Russian air defenses engaged Ukrainian attack drones.

A Kremlin statement did not say Russia had shot down the plane, only noting a criminal case had been opened.

"Our plane was shot down by accident," Aliyev said on state television on Sunday, adding that the plane had come under some sort of electronic jamming and had then been shot at while it was approaching the southern Russian city of Grozny.

The pilots, who died in the crash, have been lauded in Azerbaijan for a landing that allowed 29 people to survive.

"Unfortunately, in the first three days we heard only absurd versions from Russia," Aliyev said, citing statements in Russia that attributed the crash to bird strike or the explosion of some sort of gas cylinder.