The fact that the fuselage of the crashed plane was riddled with holes completely ruled out the version of a collision with a flock of birds, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated in an interview with Azerbaijani Television.

The head of state expressed regret that certain circles in Russia preferred to adhere to this version:
“One of the points that upset and surprised us was that Russian official structures put forward theories about the explosion of some kind of gas cylinder. This clearly showed that the Russian side wanted to cover up the issue, which, of course, does no credit to anyone.”

Emphasizing that the plane was not deliberately shot down, Aliyev stated, “Admitting responsibility, apologizing in a timely manner to Azerbaijan, considered a friendly country, and communicating this to the public - these were measures and steps that needed to be taken.”

“Unfortunately, for the first three days, we heard nothing from Russia but absurd versions,” Aliyev added.

According to the President of Azerbaijan, the final conclusion will be made after the black boxes are analyzed. However, the initial theories are well-founded and based on facts.

“And the facts are as follows: the Azerbaijani civilian aircraft sustained external damage on Russian territory near the city of Grozny and practically lost control. We also know that our aircraft was rendered uncontrollable by electronic warfare systems. This was the first damage inflicted on the plane,” Aliyev said.

📸APA