Azerbaijan President Confirms Russia Shot Down Airliner and Tried to Cover It Up, Crew's Heroism Praised In a recent speech, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev confirmed that Russia shot down an Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft, accusing Moscow of attempting to cover up the incident with "absurd theories" for three-days following the crash. During his address, President Aliyev praised the heroic actions of the pilots and cabin crew, highlighting their critical roles in preventing the crash from being