Russian Air Defences Suspected in Azerbaijan Airlines Crash That Killed 38

An Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people, may have been downed by Russian air defences, according to preliminary findings from Azerbaijan’s investigation. Four sources with knowledge of the probe shared the information with Reuters on Thursday. 

Flight J2-8243, an Embraer passenger jet, crashed in a fireball near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Wednesday. The crash occurred after the plane diverted from its route over southern Russia, where Moscow frequently deploys air defence systems against Ukrainian drone strikes. 

The flight originated in Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital, and was destined for Grozny in Russia’s Chechnya region. However, it deviated hundreds of miles across the Caspian Sea before crashing on its opposite shore.

Russia’s aviation watchdog attributed the crash to an emergency, possibly caused by a bird strike, but provided no explanation for the plane’s diversion. The nearest Russian airport on its original flight path, Makhachkala, was closed on Wednesday morning. 

Azerbaijani sources allege the aircraft was struck by a Russian Pantsir-S air defence system and that its communications were paralysed by electronic warfare systems as it approached Grozny. 

“No one claims that it was done on purpose. However, taking into account the established facts, Baku expects the Russian side to confess to the shooting down of the Azerbaijani aircraft,” one source stated. 

Three other sources confirmed the same preliminary conclusion from Azerbaijan’s investigation. 

Russia’s Defence Ministry has not commented, and Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Qanat Bozymbaev said he could neither confirm nor deny the allegations. The Kazakh transport prosecutor for the region where the crash occurred said the investigation had yet to reach a firm conclusion. 

International reactions have been swift. A US official indicated early signs that a Russian anti-aircraft system may have been involved. Canada also expressed concerns, urging Russia to allow an open investigation and accept its findings. 

“We call on Russia to allow for an open and transparent investigation into the incident and to accept its findings,” the Canadian foreign ministry said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter). 

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, addressing questions before the Reuters report, stated, “It is wrong to build hypotheses before the conclusions of the investigation.” 

The crash, now under scrutiny, highlights growing tensions in the region amid Russia’s ongoing use of air defence systems near its borders.  

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