Euronews: Azerbaijan Airlines plane shot down by Russian air defense

A preliminary investigation confirms that the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane in Aktau was caused by a Russian missile fired by the Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft system. Sources in the Azerbaijani government confirmed this information. The missile was fired at Flight 8432, en route Baku-Grozny, while fighting off a drone attack in the skies over Grozny.

The fragments of the missile fired at the plane hit the passengers and crew. Government sources reported that the damaged plane was not allowed to land at any Russian airports despite pilots' requests for an emergency landing. Instead, it was ordered to fly across the Caspian Sea to Aktau in Kazakhstan.

According to the data, the aircraft's GPS navigation systems were suppressed along the entire flight path over the sea, probably due to the electronic warfare systems in operation. It was due to this circumstance that the plane disappeared from radar in Russian airspace. The version of the plane being hit by an anti-aircraft missile explains the numerous small damages on the fuselage, similar to the missile's impact.

It also explains the holes in the interior of the cabin and the puncture wounds inflicted on the passengers prior to the crash.

Probable traces of the wreckage of the Azerbaijani Embraer 190, December 25, 2024. Photo credits: Astra

It is also worth noting that yesterday, the Russian media published photos of expended 57E6E anti-aircraft missile boosters of the Pantsir-S1 system after repelling a drone attack in the Chechen Republic.

The publication of these photos effectively confirms that these systems were active in the region at the time of the Flight 8432 downing.

Booster module of the 57E6E anti-aircraft missile of the Pantsir-S1 system

A total of 38 people were killed in the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane, Kazakh Transport Minister Marat Karabayev said. Among them were seven Russians, 23 Azerbaijani citizens, and six Kazakh citizens. Currently, the preliminary version of the Russian version, voiced by the Federal Air Transport Agency spokesman, is a loss of control that could have been caused by damage from a collision with birds.

"After the collision with the birds due to an emergency situation on board the aircraft, its commander decided to go to an alternate airfield - Aktau was chosen," Artem Korenyako, the spokesman, stated.

Militarnyi previously reported that based on video footage taken by passengers, the plane was damaged in Russian airspace.