Azerbaijan Airlines Flight Downed By Russian Anti-Aircraft Missile, Investigation Reveals
Azerbaijan’s preliminary investigation into the deadly air crash in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day suggests that a Russian anti-aircraft missile, likely fired by a Pantsir-S air defence system, downed the airliner.
The plane’s communications were reportedly disrupted by electronic warfare systems before being hit.
The Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8432 crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Wednesday, en route to Grozny, Russia, killing 38 people and injuring 29.
The crash occurred after the plane, which had requested an emergency landing in Russia, was redirected to fly over the Caspian Sea towards Kazakhstan’s Aktau. It was not allowed to land in Russia.
Russian missile firing on the aircraft was not believed to be intentional, according to sources cited by multiple media outlets.
Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency initially claimed the crash was caused by a bird strike, though aviation experts suggested Russian air defences were more likely the cause based on damage to the tail of the aircraft.
The flight passed over a region in Russia’s North Caucasus, which had been targeted by Ukrainian drones in recent days, with Russia’s Ministry of Defence reporting multiple drone shootdowns.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned against speculation about the cause of the crash, saying “It would be wrong to make any hypotheses before the investigation’s conclusions.”
Kazakhstan has also launched its own investigation and refrained from commenting on the cause.
On Thursday, Azerbaijan observed a national day of mourning for the victims of the crash. Residents across the former Soviet republic participated in a moment of silence, while national flags were lowered and traffic came to a standstill throughout the country.
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