Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has directly accused Russia of responsibility for the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash that happened on Christmas Day.

He has also called on Moscow to issue an apology, accept responsibility, and provide compensation to the victims’ families.

Mr Aliyev said, “We can clearly say today that the plane was shot down by Russia.

“First, the Russian side must apologise to Azerbaijan. Second, it must acknowledge its guilt. Third, those responsible must be punished.”  

According to the New York Times, in a televised interview on Sunday, Mr Aliyev dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s apology as inadequate, warning that a lack of accountability could strain relations between the two nations.  

While the Azerbaijani leader described the plane crash as accidental, he criticised Russia’s delayed and vague response, calling it unacceptable.

The plane, operating as flight J2-8243, departed Baku, Azerbaijan, at 03:55 GMT, bound for Grozny, Russia. However, it was diverted due to thick fog and caught fire during its descent and killed dozens, more than half of whom were Azerbaijani citizens.