Russian Missile Caused The Deadly Plane Crash: Azerbaijan

Baku, Azerbaijan: A preliminary probe made by Azerbaijan on the tragic plane crash in Kazakhstan concluded that it was downed by Russia’s air defence systems, said media reports. The Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8432 crashed near the city of Aktau on Wednesday while en route to Grozny, the capital of the Chechnya region in southern Russia. 38 passengers were killed and 29 others were injured. The second black box was also recovered from the crashed plane.

Reports on Moscow’s involvement in the crash came after aviation experts suggested Russian air defences were likely to blame, based on visible damage to the tail section of the plane.

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Early indications after finding the black box also indicated Russia’s involvement in the crash, US officials told CNN. If the indications are proven correct, it may have been a case of mistaken identity, in which poorly trained Russian units have fired negligently against Ukraine’s use of drones, the officials told the outlet.

Azerbaijan is yet to publicly announce the findings of its probe into the disaster. However, officials have concluded that a Russian anti-aircraft missile was to blame, reported Reuters, citing unnamed sources familiar with the investigation. The agency also cited a source as saying that the aircraft was struck by a Russian Pantsir-S battery after having its communications paralysed by electronic warfare systems on its approach to Grozny. The firing on the plane was not believed to be intentional, said the report.

Citing government sources, Euronews said that the aircraft was not allowed to land in Russia after pilots requested an emergency landing and was instead directed to fly across the Caspian Sea towards Aktau. Earlier, Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency said that the plane had been forced to make an emergency landing after striking a flock of birds.

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The Embraer 190 had been flying over a part of Russia’s North Caucasus that has been targeted by Ukrainian drones in recent weeks, and Russia’s Ministry of Defence reported shooting down dozens of drones on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

Video footage circulating on social media of the plane during the time of the crash showed the plane making a steep descent before hitting the ground and bursting into flames.

Speaking to reporters, the Kremlin spokesperson said, “It would be wrong to make any hypotheses before the investigation’s conclusions.”