Is Russia behind Azerbaijan plane crash that claimed 38 lives?
Speculations are growing over the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight on Wednesday morning, which claimed the lives of 38 out of the 67 people on board.
Some are claiming that Russia is behind this crash and that a Russian air defence missile was used to hit the plane.
Official sources and initial reports suggest that the plane, an Embraer 190, was struck mid-flight by a missile while nearing its destination in Grozny, Russia.
The flight, which was en route from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, was forced to change course due to poor weather conditions.
It was landed in an emergency near Aktau, Kazakhstan, after reportedly colliding with a flock of birds, according to initial statements by Azerbaijan Airlines.
However, surviving passengers later reported hearing a loud explosion, followed by what seemed to be shrapnel hitting the aircraft, causing significant damage to the fuselage.
Euronews has received corroborating information from sources close to the probe, indicating that the damage to the plane strongly suggests it may have been struck by a surface-to-air missile, likely from a Russian air defence system.
This theory is supported by a report from Azerbaijan-based news outlet AnewZ, which cited a Russian military blogger as stating that the extent of the damage was consistent with an accidental missile strike.
The crash, which occurred in the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, has claimed the lives of 38 people, including 37 Azerbaijani citizens, along with 16 Russian nationals, six Kazakhstani, and three Kyrgyzstani nationals.
The survivors, 29 in total, have been hospitalised, including two children.
Flight-tracking data from FlightRadar24 revealed erratic flight patterns in the minutes before the crash, with the aircraft making sharp altitude adjustments and experiencing GPS jamming, which hindered real-time tracking.
The downing of the flight bears striking similarities to the 2014 tragedy of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which was also shot down by a surface-to-air missile in eastern Ukraine, an act attributed to Russian-backed forces.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev addressed the press on Wednesday, stating that it was premature to speculate on the cause of the crash, though he confirmed that the weather conditions had forced the plane to divert to Aktau, where it ultimately crashed during the attempted landing.
The unfortunate incident raises questions about the safety of air travel in regions with heightened military tensions, particularly in areas under heavy air defences, such as Grozny.
The Chechen capital, under the control of Ramzan Kadyrov, remains a key point of Russian defense against potential Ukrainian drone strikes.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijan Airlines has pledged to keep the public informed, with officials pledging to fully cooperate in the ongoing investigation.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan continues to sift through the wreckage in search of further details about the crash.
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Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash Russia missile strike Kazakhstan air defence Embraer 190 aviation safety Azerbaijan Aktau missile incident flight investigation surface-to-air missile aviation news crash investigation air defence missile
