On Thursday, four sources familiar with the preliminary investigation of the Azerbaijan plane crash told Reuters that the Russian air defense system shot down a plane belonging to Azerbaijan Airlines, which crashed in Kazakhstan, resulting in the death of 38 people.
The Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 crashed near Aktau city in Kazakhstan on Wednesday. Prior to the crash, the flight had diverted from the southern region of Russia, where Moscow has recently been using the air defense system to counter Ukrainian drone attacks.
The plane, made by Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer, was flying from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to Grozny in the southern region of Russia’s Chechnya, before turning east to fly across the Caspian Sea and eventually crashing on the eastern coast.
Russian aviation regulators had previously mentioned that the emergency might have been caused by a bird strike.
Officials did not explain why the plane was crossing the Caspian Sea, but the crash occurred after recent Ukrainian drone attacks in Chechnya. The closest Russian airport along the flight route was closed on Wednesday morning.
A source familiar with the Azerbaijani plane crash investigation told Reuters that the preliminary results indicate that the plane was hit by Russia’s “Pantsir-S” air defense system, with its communication system being disabled by electronic warfare systems as it approached Grozny.
The source stated, “No one claims this was intentional; however, considering the confirmed facts, Baku hopes the Russian side will acknowledge the fact of shooting down the Azerbaijani plane.”
Three other sources have confirmed that Azerbaijan’s investigation has reached the same preliminary conclusion.
Kazakhstan’s transport prosecutor in the crash area stated that their investigation has not yet reached any conclusions about the crash. Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister Qanat Bozymbaev mentioned that he cannot confirm nor deny the claim of the Russian air defense forces shooting down the plane.
Before the Reuters report, inquiries were made to the Kremlin about whether the plane was shot down by the Russian air defense system. The Kremlin responded that an investigation is ongoing and it’s inappropriate to comment before reaching conclusions.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated, “Making assumptions before reaching conclusions is incorrect.”
Videos from the crash site circulating on social media, verified by Reuters, show damage to the tail of the aircraft that appears to be caused by shrapnel.
Aviation safety company Osprey Flight Solutions issued a warning to airlines on Wednesday, indicating that the video of the wreckage and conditions in the southwestern airspace of Russia suggest the aircraft may have been targeted by some form of air defense attack.
In recent months, Ukrainian military drones have repeatedly attacked the southern region of Russia, prompting the activation of air defense systems. Since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its neighboring country in February 2022, Russia and Ukraine have been at war.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported the downing of 59 Ukrainian drones in multiple regions.
Reportedly, some of the drones were shot down in regions bordering Ukraine, including the Azov Sea. Due to this activity, flight operations at Kazan Airport were temporarily suspended.
Furthermore, the warning mentioned that publicly available ADS-B flight tracking data shows that the Azerbaijan flight experienced GPS interference while flying over southwestern Russia.
In Brussels, NATO called for a comprehensive investigation into the cause of the crash.
NATO spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah stated, “We express our condolences to the victims and families of Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 and pray for them. We wish a speedy recovery to the injured in the crash and urge a thorough investigation.”
The Chairman of the Senate of Kazakhstan stated earlier on Thursday that the cause of the plane crash is still unclear.