According to a report from Euronews, Azerbaijani government officials confirmed on Thursday, December 26th, that a Russian surface-to-air missile caused an Azerbaijani passenger plane to crash in Kazakhstan.
The Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8432 crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday while attempting an emergency landing, resulting in the tragic deaths of 38 passengers.
The officials revealed that the missile was launched during drone activity over Grozny, and when it exploded near the plane, fragments struck passengers and crew members.
The damaged aircraft was not permitted to land at any Russian airport when the pilot requested an emergency landing, and was instructed to fly over the Caspian Sea to Aktau, Kazakhstan.
According to Russian sources, as the Azerbaijani aircraft crossed Chechen airspace, Russian air defense forces were attempting to shoot down a Ukrainian drone.
Khamzat Kadyrov, the head of the Security Council of the Chechen Republic, confirmed that a drone attack occurred in Grozny on Wednesday morning, but no casualties or losses were reported.
CNN reported that officials from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia, the three countries involved in the air disaster, urged against speculating on the cause of the accident until the investigation results are released.
AZERTAC, the Azerbaijani state news agency, cited Azerbaijan Airlines’ statement initially attributing the accident to a bird strike. Rosaviatsia, the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency, also stated that the aircraft crashed due to a bird strike.
However, Andriy Kovalenko, the head of the Anti-Disinformation Center of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, denied this on social media, stating that the aircraft was “shot down by the Russian air defense system.”
According to RIA Novosti, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that speculating on the cause of the crash before the investigation is completed is incorrect.
Kanat Bozumbayev, the Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, stated that even preliminary reasons cannot be confirmed yet because it requires experts in this field.
Currently, a joint investigation committee consisting of representatives from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Russia has been established to investigate the cause of the air disaster.