“We also know that electronic warfare systems put our plane out of control … At the same time, as a result of fire from the ground, the tail of the plane was also severely damaged,” he said.
Aliyev said that while “our plane was hit by accident”, Baku was angry that Moscow had apparently tried to hide the cause of the crash and demanded its ally admit responsibility.
He said it was “regrettable and surprising” that Moscow “put forward theories” that, he said, “clearly showed the Russian side wanted to cover up the issue”.
“For the first three days, we heard nothing from Russia except some absurd theories,” he said, adding that these included the plane hitting a flock of birds.
He called the theory “completely removed” from reality, pointing out that the plane’s “fuselage is riddled with holes”.
Russia has said that Grozny was being attacked by Ukrainian drones the day that the AZAL flight tried to land.
