Kazakhstan plane crash: Missile strike suspicion confirmed
A preliminary investigation confirms that a Russian surface-to-air missile caused the plane crash on Wednesday in western Kazakhstan, Euronews reported on Thursday, citing sources in the Azerbaijani government. The aircraft in question was an Embraer-190 belonging to the Azerbaijani carrier Azerbaijan Airlines.
The plane, flying from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, crashed Wednesday morning near Aktau, Kazakhstan. 38 of the 67 people on board died.
Initially, it was suggested that the aircraft most likely collided with a flock of birds, causing a failure in the control system. It was reported that after the collision, the plane was redirected to avoid flying over a mountain range, heading towards Aktau on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea. During the emergency landing attempt, the aircraft broke apart and burst into flames.
Sources say the missile was fired toward the plane; It was aimed at a drone
Speculation arose on Thursday that a Russian air defense system targeted the plane. The official cause of the crash has not yet been released to the public, but Euronews, citing sources in the Azerbaijani government, reported that a Russian surface-to-air missile caused it.
According to informants, the missile was launched toward the plane as the Russian air defense attempted to repel an attack by Ukrainian drones over Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, part of the Russian Federation. The missile reportedly exploded near the aircraft, with fragments hitting the plane. Sources add that the crew of the damaged plane was not allowed—despite requests—to make an emergency landing at any Russian airport and was ordered to head toward Aktau.
Footage from inside the plane, shared on Telegram by survivors of the crash, shows that some passengers were bleeding even before the plane fell.
Material published by the opposition Russian TV station Nastojaszczeje Wriemia (banned in Russia) shows the rear of the plane riddled with holes, resembling traces from gunfire.
On Thursday morning, blogger Azamat Sarsenbayev was detained for filming the crash site with a drone. The official reason for his detention was failing to comply with police orders. He was sentenced to 10 days in detention. The blogger claims he filmed the site at the request of the BBC and Reuters.
