Zelenskyy expresses condolences over Azal flight crash, states Russia is responsible for tragedy
Russia is responsible for the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane flying from Baku to Grozny, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
"Every human life is valuable, and every loss of life deserves a thorough investigation to establish the truth. We can see how the clear visual evidence at the crash site points to Russia's responsibility for the tragedy," Zelenskyy said on the X social network on Friday evening.
He expressed his condolences to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and the people of Azerbaijan over the crash.
"If Russia decides to spread lies in the same way that it did in the MH17 case, we will need to consolidate all international pressure on Moscow in order to establish the truth and ensure accountability," Zelenskyy said.
As reported, the Embraer plane of the Azerbaijan Airlines, flying from Baku to Grozny, crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan. According to the carrier, there were 67 people on board, including five crew members. The accident killed 38 people.
The Azerbaijani government claims that a Russian surface-to-air missile was the cause of the Embraer crash. The missile was fired at the airliner during drone flights over Grozny, its fragments hit the passengers and crew, exploding near the airliner in mid-flight. Head of the Main Intelligence Agency of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov also stated that the Embraer plane was shot down by a missile from the Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense system.