A passenger plane from Azerbaijan crashed in Kazakhstan, resulting in the deaths of 38 individuals, and many suspect that the disaster wasn’t caused by pilot error or a technical failure.
Azerbaijan has initiated a criminal investigation into the crash amidst claims that the airline was caught in the crossfire of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Certain reports indicate that a Russian anti-aircraft missile may have downed the passenger plane, while others propose that it could have resulted from adverse weather or various other factors. Russian President Vladimir Putin has conveyed his sympathies regarding the loss of lives.
The Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft was traveling from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny in Russia’s Chechen Republic. It deviated from its path in a region where Russia’s air defenses had repelled Ukrainian drones recently. After the diversion, the aircraft tried to land urgently 3 kilometres from Aktau in Kazakhstan, close to the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea.
According to Reuters, a video of the accident depicts the aircraft igniting, crashing onto the coast, and billowing dark smoke.
The airplane was carrying 62 passengers and five crew members. On the flight were 42 Azerbaijani citizens, 16 Russians, six Kazakhs, and three from Kyrgyzstan.
It went down close to Aktau in Kazakhstan after circling back and flying across the Caspian Sea. Approximately 38 individuals have passed away, while 33 individuals have lived.
What are the different opinions on the plane crash?
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev mentioned that based on the information he received, the aircraft altered its flight path because of adverse weather conditions, and that an investigation is underway regarding the crash’s cause.
“This is a significant tragedy that has turned into a great grief for the Azerbaijani people,” he stated.
Nevertheless, reports indicated that it was “probable” the aircraft was downed by a Russian military air-defense system.
Referencing the crash footage, the visible damage to the aircraft, and recent military actions, the UK aviation-security company, Osprey Flight Solutions, asserted that the flight “was probably brought down by a Russian military air-defense system,” as reported by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
The deployment of air defence systems corresponds with reports that drones struck Chechnya on the morning of December 25.
A Ukrainian representative also stated that the “Russians caused damage to the plane.”
A Ukrainian national security representative, Andriy Kovalenko, stated in an X post that the aircraft was downed by a “Russian air-defense system.”
