The Azerbaijan Airlines plane was reportedly shot down by the Russian military – probably accidentally, as insiders say. At the time of the crash, Ukrainian drones were being fought in the air in several regions of Russia’s North Caucasus.
“No one is saying it was intentional,” an insider told Reuters. According to media reports, senior state officials in Azerbaijan confirmed the shooting. The researchers also spoke of such an incident on Thursday. In concrete terms, the plane was reportedly hit by a Panzir S anti-aircraft missile on Wednesday as it approached the city of Grozny in the Russian republic of Chechnya.
Kremlin: Plane diverted due to fog
Why the plane could not land there has not yet been definitively clarified. Russian government authorities reported that the plane was diverted due to fog. However, this version is doubted. The Azerbaijani government criticized that the Azerbaijan Airlines plane was not allowed to land at a Russian airport despite a request. The crew had been ordered to fly over the Caspian Sea towards Aktau.
There is now speculation that Russian authorities knew at the time that the plane had been accidentally hit by their own air defenses. So they sent it away to cover up the incident. According to one researcher, the Azerbaijani government expects that “the Russian side will admit to the shooting down of the Azerbaijani plane.”
“It would be wrong to put forward a hypothesis before the conclusions of the investigation are available,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to the accusations. On Thursday evening, rescue teams recovered the flight recorders from the rubble at the accident site, which are now being evaluated. Video footage shows how the plane crashed from a low altitude on the coast on Wednesday. According to eyewitnesses, it flew in two wide circles and hit the ground on the third circle.
Here you can see a tweet about the incident.
Control systems failed
Several control systems on the machine failed, Kazakh Transport Minister Marat Karabayev said. “The crew was unable to safely maintain course and altitude.” During the collision, part of the aircraft caught fire. The surviving passengers were rescued from behind. However, the bow and center section were destroyed.
At least 38 people died in the crash, 29 survived, but some were seriously injured. A full passenger list has now been published. Russian, Azerbaijani and Kyrgyz nationals are among the injured. Nine injured Russian citizens are being treated in Moscow, including a child.
Azerbaijan Airlines has temporarily suspended flights to the Russian cities of Grozny and Makhachkala in the North Caucasus. Israeli airline El Al announced on Thursday evening that it would suspend all flights between Tel Aviv and Moscow this week. The reason is “developments in Russian airspace”.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
