AZERBAIJAN’s preliminary investigation into a deadly air crash in Kazakhstan has concluded that the airliner was downed by Russia’s air defence systems, multiple media outlets have reported.
Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8432 crashed near the city of Aktau on Wednesday while en route to Grozny, the capital of the Chechnya region in southern Russia, killing 38 people and injuring 29 others.
While Azerbaijan has yet to publicly announce the findings of its probe into the disaster, officials have concluded that a Russian anti-aircraft missile was to blame, Euronews, The Wall Street Journal, Anadolu Agency and the Reuters news agency reported on Thursday, citing unnamed sources familiar with the investigation.
Reuters cited a source as saying that the aircraft was struck by a Russian Pantsir-S battery after having its communications paralysed by electronic warfare systems on its approach to Grozny.
The firing on the plane was not believed to be intentional, Reuters quoted the source as saying.
Euronews cited government sources as saying the aircraft was not allowed to land in Russia after pilots requested an emergency landing and was instead directed to fly across the Caspian Sea towards Aktau.
News Point Nigeria could not independently verify the claims.
Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency initially said that the plane had been forced to make an emergency landing after striking a flock of birds.
The reports of Russia’s involvement came after aviation experts suggested Russian air defences were likely to blame, based on visible damage to the plane’s tail section.
The Embraer 190 had been flying over a part of Russia’s North Caucasus that has been targeted by Ukrainian drones in recent weeks, and Russia’s Ministry of Defence reported shooting down dozens of drones on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
Footage of the stricken aircraft on social media showed the plane making a steep descent before hitting the ground and bursting into flames.
Russia has cautioned against speculation about the cause of the crash, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling reporters: “It would be wrong to make any hypotheses before the investigation’s conclusions.”
Kazakhstan, which is also probing the crash, has declined to speculate on the cause before the release of its own findings.
Azerbaijan on Thursday held a day of mourning for the victims of the crash, with residents of the former Soviet country observing a moment of silence as national flags were lowered and traffic came to a halt nationwide.