Azerbaijan Blames Russia for Plane Crash and Rebukes Kremlin The leader of Azerbaijan criticized the Russian response to the crash of a passenger jet that Azerbaijani officials said had most likely been hit by Russian air defenses.

New York times ^ | 30.Dec.2024 | Anatomy Kurmanaev

[Cronos]

The leader of Azerbaijan directly blamed Russia on Sunday for the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet last week, calling on Moscow to accept responsibility and offer compensation to victims.

President Ilham Aliyev said in an interview with Azerbaijan’s national broadcaster that a vague apology issued by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia a day earlier would not suffice to preserve friendly relations between the two former Soviet states.

...“We can clearly say today that the plane was shot down by Russia,” Mr. Aliyev said in the interview, according to a summary published in English by Azerbaijan’s state news agency. “First, the Russian side must apologize to Azerbaijan. Second, it must acknowledge its guilt. Third, those responsible must be punished.”

...Mr. Aliyev said in the television interview that the airliner was hit by accident. He criticized, however, Moscow’s tardy and noncommittal response, which initially attempted to blame the crash on fog or birds.

“Unfortunately, for the first three days, we heard nothing from Russia except for some absurd theories,” Mr. Aliyev said.

Analysts said that Mr. Aliyev had taken a strong stand on Russia because he himself accepted responsibility and offered compensation when Azerbaijan’s military mistakenly shot down a Russian military helicopter in 2020, killing two Russian service members.

[yldstrk]

I thought Russia already conceded the point.

[kiryandil]

I thought Russia already conceded the point.

The dead horse must be beaten till it is meat paste.

[Socon-Econ]

I thought Russia already conceded the point.
.........
The dead horse must be beaten till it is meat paste.
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Correct. And I heard an even more recent report that the President of Azerbaijan conceded that the shoot-down was accidental.