Azerbaijan’s leader on Monday accused Moscow of carrying out a “cover up” over a passenger jet crash last month that claimed 38 lives, as relations sour between the two neighbors.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has demanded a full admission of responsibility from Russia for causing the recent Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Kazakhstan and has called for those responsible to be punished.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev says the Azerbaijani airliner that crashed last week was shot down by Russia, albeit unintentionally.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has accused Russia of accidentally shooting down an airliner on Christmas Day in a disaster that killed 38 people, and covering up the cause.

A criminal investigation was under way into the passenger plane crash early on Wednesday in Kazakhstan, killing at least 38 people, Azerbaijan’s leader said.View on euronews

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev is pressuring Vladimir Putin to acknowledge Russia's responsibility for the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane crash. He accuses Russian representatives of attempting to "cover up the incident,

In the crash’s aftermath, Azerbaijan has unleashed rare and stinging criticism of Russia, with the country’s president saying Moscow’s response has caused “surprise, regret and rightful indignation.”

We demand justice, we demand punishment for those responsible, we demand full transparency - said the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, referring to the plane crash caused by a Russian missile. He also accused Moscow of attempting to cover up the incident.

"The blame for this disaster lies with representatives of the Russian Federation," Ilham Aliyev said on Jan. 6.