A Russian missile shot down an Azerbaijani passenger plane, killing 38?

An Azerbaijani passenger plane crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people, and people believe that the cause of the tragedy was not pilot error or technical failure. Azerbaijan launched a criminal investigation into the crash, although people claimed the airline was caught in the crossfire of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Some reports suggest that the passenger plane may have been shot down by Russian anti-aircraft fire, while others suggest that it may have been due to bad weather or other reasons. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences in connection with the loss of life.

The “Azerbaijan Airlines” plane was flying from Baku in Azerbaijan to Gronza in Chechnya, Russia. He deviated from his route from an area where Russian air defenses have been fighting off Ukrainian drones for the past few weeks. It was after the sabotage that the plane tried to make an emergency landing 3 kilometers from Aktau in Kazakhstan, near the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea.

In the video of the crash, you can see how the jet bursts into flames, crashing into the seashore, and thick black smoke comes out of it, Reuters reports.

There were 62 passengers and five crew members on board the plane. 42 citizens of Azerbaijan, 16 citizens of Russia, six citizens of Kazakhstan and three citizens of Kyrgyzstan were on board the plane.

It crashed near Aktau in Kazakhstan after turning around and flying over the Caspian Sea. About 38 people died33 people survived.

WHAT ARE DIFFERENT SIDES SAYING ABOUT THE AZERBAIJAN AIRCRAFT?

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that, according to the information he received, the plane changed its route due to bad weather and that the cause of the crash is being investigated.

“This is a great tragedy, which has become a great sorrow for the Azerbaijani people,” he said.

However, reports say the plane was “probably” shot down by a Russian military air defense system.

Citing footage of the crash, damage to the plane and recent military operations, British aviation security company Osprey Flight Solutions said the plane “was likely shot down by a Russian military air defense system.” This was reported by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

“Video of the wreckage and airspace security circumstances in southwestern Russia indicate that the aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire,” the company’s chief intelligence officer, Matt Bory, told the WSJ.

The use of air defense systems is consistent with reports that Chechnya was attacked by drones on the morning of December 25.

The Ukrainian official also stated that “the plane was damaged by the Russians.”

Andriy Kovalenko, an employee of the National Security Service of Ukraine, said in a post X that the plane was shot down by a “Russian air defense system.”

“Russia should have closed the airspace over Grozny, but did not do so,” Kovalenko said. “The plane was damaged by the Russians and was sent to Kazakhstan instead of making an emergency landing in Grozny to save lives.”

“WILL COOPERATE WITH THE INVESTIGATION”: AZERBAIJAN AND KAZAKHSTAN

Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan said they would cooperate in the investigation.

Kazakhstan’s transport prosecutor Timur Suleymenov, speaking at a briefing, said that the plane’s black box, which contains flight data, will help establish the cause of the crash, Interfax reports.

The Russian aviation service also denied the attack.

“Preliminarily: after a collision with birds due to an emergency situation on board, its commander decided to “go” to an alternative airfield – Aktau was chosen,” the Russian aviation authority said.

Richard Aboulafia, an analyst at consulting firm AeroDynamic Advisory, also told Reuters that an accident caused by a flock of birds was unlikely.

“You can lose control of the airplane, but you don’t fly wildly off course as a result,” he said.

Footage released near the scene on Wednesday morning showed the plane engulfed in flames after it made an emergency landing in a field.

Some aviation experts said that the holes in the tail of the plane, which can be seen in the footage of the crash, further specify the possibility of a missile attack or “air defense work”, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The footage also shows the impact of a large surface-to-air missile on the tail of the plane, according to the Russian independent media “Meduza”.

Additionally, it was noted that this was not consistent with a bird strike, but more information was needed.

The airline’s customers were warned about the risk of travel. On December 25, “Azerbaijan Airlines” stopped flights to Grozny and Makhachkala, TASS reports.

A detailed and neutral investigation will be able to establish the exact cause of the accident that killed 38 people.