Azerbaijani jet downed: Russian missile blamed for crash
General Kyrylo Budanov of Ukrainian military intelligence claims that an Embraer-190 Azerbaijan Airlines aeroplane was downed over Russia. At least 38 people perished in the crash.
The Embraer-190 belonging to Azerbaijan Airlines crashed near the city of Aktau in western Kazakhstan, resulting in at least 38 fatalities.
- According to our information, the plane was shot down by a Russian Pantsir-S1 air defence system over Russian territory - stated Budanov in a comment to the military portal The Warzone.
The Euronews portal reported that the crash might have resulted from a Russian surface-to-air missile attack. Sources in the Azerbaijani government stated that the missile was launched as air defences tried to fend off an attack by Ukrainian drones over Grozny, the capital of Chechnya.
The aeroplane was en route from Baku to Grozny, and as a result of the crash, 38 people lost their lives, with 29 others injured.
"Reckless action by Moscow"
According to an American official, quoted by the "Financial Times," "there are early indications" suggesting that the Azerbaijani passenger aeroplane that crashed on Wednesday "may have been hit by a Russian anti-aircraft system." This would highlight the "reckless action by Moscow."
Most passengers on the Embraer 190 were Azerbaijani citizens. There were also 16 Russians, along with several citizens of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, on board.
In preliminary official reports released on Wednesday, the day of the crash, Russia reported that dense fog forced the plane to alter its planned landing site in Grozny and attempt to land in Kazakhstan. There, it crashed after potentially striking a flock of birds. On the same day, the President of Azerbaijan stated he was informed that the aircraft was being redirected due to adverse weather conditions.
This narrative, however, was challenged by experts and officials in the USA, the region, and Ukraine, who cited evidence that Russian air defences were operational at the time over Grozny in response to a Ukrainian drone attack. They also provided photos of the crashed aeroplane showing what appears to be shrapnel damage.
