Azerbaijan's president says plane was hit over Russia in unintentional incident

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev said on Sunday that a civilian Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) aircraft, which crash-landed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Wednesday, was hit over Russia, though the incident was unintentional.

In an interview with Azerbaijan Television, Aliyev revealed that the jet sustained external damage over Russian territory near Grozny, with electronic warfare systems destabilizing its controls and a ground fire severely damaging the plane.

Evidence of shrapnel and bullet holes in the fuselage clearly indicated the plane had been attacked, said Aliyev.

"We do not believe this was deliberate, but it is critical that Russia acknowledges responsibility," Aliyev said, noting that Azerbaijan has demanded an apology, accountability, and compensation.

An Embraer 190 aircraft operated by AZAL, flight J2-8243 from Baku to Grozny, crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau on Wednesday, with 62 passengers and five crew members on board. Thirty-eight people were killed in the crash, and 29 were rescued, Kazakhstan's Ministry of Emergency Situations said.

On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized for the "tragic incident" in Russian airspace during a phone conversation with Aliyev.