Senior Azerbaijani officials confirmed to Anadolu on Thursday that earlier media reports about the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight near Kazakhstan’s Aktau city were accurate. The crash, which occurred on Wednesday, was reportedly caused by a Russian missile system.
Azerbaijani media, citing government sources, stated that an initial investigation revealed the plane was targeted by a Pantsir missile system as it approached Grozny, the capital of the Russian Republic of Chechnya.
Reports also alleged that Russian electronic warfare systems disrupted the aircraft’s communication, causing it to vanish from radar while in Russian airspace. The plane reappeared on radar only after entering the Caspian Sea region.
The Embraer 190, carrying 67 passengers, was en route from Baku to Grozny when it crashed three kilometers from Aktau. Kazakh officials reported 38 fatalities, while 29 passengers survived. Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have both initiated investigations.
Azerbaijan Airlines and Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency initially suggested that bird strikes caused the crash. However, footage from the site revealed significant damage to the tail section, leading to suspicions that the aircraft might have been shot down.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the reports, urging patience until investigations are complete.
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