Azerbaijani plane crashes in Kazakhstan due to Russian missile - Euronews
A passenger plane of Azerbaijan Airlines crashed in the Kazakh city of Aktau due to a Russian surface-to-air missile.
According to Ukrinform, Euronews reported this with reference to unnamed sources in the Azerbaijani government.
According to the sources, the missile was fired at Flight 8432 during a drone attack over the Chechen city of Grozny. The munition exploded next to the plane during the flight, and the debris hit passengers and crew members.
Euronews sources said that the damaged plane was not allowed to land at any Russian airport, despite the pilots' request for an emergency landing, and was ordered to fly across the Caspian Sea toward Aktau in Kazakhstan.
According to the preliminary investigation, the aircraft's GPS navigation systems were jammed throughout the flight over the sea.
The missile was fired from the Pantsir-S anti-aircraft missile system, the Baku-based AnewZ media outlet reported, citing sources in the Azerbaijani government.
The article says that if these preliminary data are confirmed, it will be the second time in the last 10 years that Russian troops have downed a commercial aircraft, after the MH17 crash in Ukraine in July 2014.
As reported, a passenger plane of Azerbaijan Airlines, en route from Baku to the Russian city of Grozny, crashed near the city of Aktau in western Kazakhstan on December 25. There were 67 people on board, 38 of whom died.
The exact cause of the crash is currently unknown. Azerbaijan Airlines reported that, according to preliminary information, the incident was caused by a collision with birds. Kazakhstani media, citing the health department of the Mangistau region, reported that an explosion could have occurred on board. The survivors of the crash also speak of an explosion. Pictures and videos from the crash site posted online show holes in the plane's skin, and their origin is unclear.
The head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council, Andriy Kovalenko, said on Wednesday that the Embraer 190 plane of the Azerbaijani airline was shot down by a Russian anti-aircraft missile system.
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