Zelenskyy and Azerbaijani president discuss crash of plane possibly shot down by Russian air defences
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has had a telephone conversation with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, during which they discussed the crash of an Embraer plane operated by Azerbaijan Airlines.
Source: Zelenskyy on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda
Details: The Ukrainian president expressed condolences over the plane crash, which claimed 38 lives.
Quote: "The key priority now is a thorough investigation to provide answers to all questions about what really happened," he stressed.
Zelenskyy said Russia "must provide clear explanations" in connection with the crash, adding that photos and videos "clearly show the damage to the aircraft’s fuselage, including punctures and dents, which strongly point to a strike by an air defence missile".
"We will support Azerbaijan in this situation with all necessary means and call on other countries to assist as well," the Ukrainian president tweeted.
Zelenskyy added that he and Aliyev had agreed to strengthen bilateral contacts in the near future. .
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. The crash killed 38 people.
- Azerbaijan Airlines said that the crash on 25 December was caused by "physical and technical external influence".
- Rashad Nabiyev, Minister of Digital Development and Transportation of Azerbaijan, said that eyewitness accounts and holes in the fuselage of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Kazakhstan indicate external influence.
- In turn, the United States saw signs of Russian air defence involvement in the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane.
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