A Russian missile fired over Grozny, Chechnya, caused the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane in Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Dec. 25, Euronews reports, citing a source in the Azerbaijani government.
According to government sources, the surface-to-air missile (SAM) was fired at the plane, which was flying from Grozny to Baku, Azerbaijan, during drone activity in the skies above Grozny. Fragments from the missile struck passengers and crew members, exploding near the plane mid-flight.
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Government sources also told Euronews that, despite requests for an emergency landing, the damaged plane was not allowed to land at Russian airports. Instead, the pilots were instructed to fly over the Caspian Sea toward Aktau, Kazakhstan.
The plane’s GPS navigation systems were reportedly jammed during the entire flight path over the sea, as per the report.
Flight Radar data revealed the plane veering off its usual route, crossing the Caspian Sea, and circling before crashing near Aktau.
Chechen Security Council Secretary Khamzat Kadyrov stated on Dec. 25 that air defense systems had shot down drones in the region but did not provide further details about the operation or the area where the UAVs were destroyed. Eyewitnesses in Grozny reported at least four or five explosions near the base of the 2nd Special Regiment of the Interior Ministry named after Akhmat Kadyrov.
As reported earlier by AFP, some aviation and military experts suggested that the plane may have been accidentally shot down by Russian air defense systems while flying in an area with reported Ukrainian drone activity.
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Kazakh Senate Speaker Maulen Ashimbayev condemned “speculation” about the cause of the crash, saying that it was “not possible” to determine what may have damaged the plane.
Meanwhile, Russian military expert Yury Podolyaka said that the holes seen in the plane’s wreckage resembled damage from an “anti-aircraft missile system,” adding, “Everything points to that.”
Gerard Legauffre, a former expert at France’s BEA air accident investigation agency, also observed significant “shrapnel” damage on the wreckage, stating that it was “reminiscent” of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 disaster, which was downed by a surface-to-air missile fired by Russia-backed rebels over eastern Ukraine in 2014.
Azerbaijan Airlines initially claimed that the plane had flown through a flock of birds, but later withdrew that statement.
The airline reported that 67 people were on board — 62 passengers and five crew members. Kazakhstan said the plane was carrying 37 Azerbaijani passengers, six Kazakhs, three Kyrgyz, and 16 Russians.
Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev confirmed that 38 people had been killed, while the Kazakh emergency situations ministry reported that “29 survivors, including three children, have been hospitalized.”
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev declared a national day of mourning on Thursday, Dec. 26, and canceled a planned visit to Russia for an informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a bloc of former Soviet states.
Aliyev’s office stated that he had “ordered the prompt initiation of urgent measures to investigate the causes of the disaster.”
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