Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev says Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft was made 'uncontrollable' by electronic warfare and adds that Russia must admit guilt for plane crash and pay compensation

Anadolu Agency (AA) reports that Azerbaijan’s president said yesterday that the passenger plane that crashed last week near the Kazakh city of Aktau had been damaged by "ground fire."

Speaking to Azerbaijani television, Ilham Aliyev reportedly said initial work on the cause of the deadly crash had begun, but that a fuller answer would emerge after an examination of the aircraft's black boxes.

"The facts indicate that the Azerbaijani civilian plane was damaged from the outside over Russian territory, near the city of Grozny, and almost lost control. We also know that means of electronic warfare put our plane out of control.

"At the same time, as a result of weapons fire from the ground, the tail of the plane was also severely damaged," he added.

He also said that, based on the many holes on the plane's fuselage, the theory of the plane colliding with a flock of birds has been "completely ruled out."

Aliyev later said that the theory of an explosion on board the plane put forth by Russia was "regrettable and surprising," claiming that this shows Moscow is attempting a cover-up.

Saying there can be no talk of a "deliberate act of terror" causing the crash, Aliyev reiterated that the details of the accident will be fully investigated.