NATIONAL NEWS

Some experts say Russia air defense caused Azerbaijan plane crash

Dec 26, 2024, 9:11 AM | Updated: 9:13 am

AKTAU, KAZAKHSTAN - DECEMBER 25: A view of the scene after an Azerbaijan Airlines flight with 67 pe...

AKTAU, KAZAKHSTAN - DECEMBER 25: A view of the scene after an Azerbaijan Airlines flight with 67 people on board, traveling from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to Grozny in Russia's Chechnya region, crashed near the Kazakh Caspian city of Aktau on December 25, 2024. According to the ministry, 62 passengers and five crew members were on board Flight 8432, which caught fire following the crash, adding that emergency responders are working to extinguish it. (Photo by Issa Tazhenbayev/Anadolu via Getty Images)

(Photo by Issa Tazhenbayev/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Azerbaijan on Thursday observed a nationwide day of mourning for the victims of the plane crash that killed 38 people and left all 29 survivors injured as speculation mounted about a possible cause of the disaster, with some experts saying that the airliner was damaged by Russian air defense fire.

Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer 190 was en route from Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus on Wednesday when it was diverted for reasons yet unclear and crashed while making an attempt to land in Aktau in Kazakhstan after flying east across the Caspian Sea.

The plane went down about 3 kilometers (around 2 miles) from Aktau. Cellphone footage circulating online appeared to show the aircraft making a steep descent before smashing into the ground in a fireball. Other footage showed part of its fuselage ripped away from the wings and the rest of the aircraft lying upside down in the grass.

As the official crash investigation started, theories abounded about a possible cause, with some experts alleging that holes seen in the plane’s tail section possibly indicate that it could have come under fire from Russian air defense systems fending off a Ukrainian drone attack.

Ukrainian drones had previously attacked Grozny, the provincial capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, and other regions in the country’s North Caucasus. An official in Chechnya said another drone attack on the region was fended off on Wednesday, although federal authorities didn’t report it.

On Thursday, national flags were lowered across Azerbaijan, traffic across the country stopped at noon, and signals sounded from ships and trains as the country observed a nationwide moment of silence.

Speaking at a news conference Wednesday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that it was too soon to speculate on the reasons behind the crash, but said that the weather had forced the plane to change from its planned course.

“The information provided to me is that the plane changed its course between Baku and Grozny due to worsening weather conditions and headed to Aktau airport, where it crashed upon landing,” he said.

Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, said that preliminary information indicated that the pilots diverted to Aktau after a bird strike led to an emergency on board.

According to Kazakh officials, those aboard the plane included 42 Azerbaijani citizens, 16 Russian nationals, six Kazakhs and three Kyrgyzstan nationals. Russia’s Emergencies Ministry on Thursday flew nine Russian survivors to Moscow for treatment.

Mark Zee of OPSGroup, which monitors the world’s airspace and airports for risks, said that the analysis of the images of fragments of the crashed plane indicate that it was almost certainly hit by a surface-to-air missile, or SAM.

“Much more to investigate, but at high level we’d put the probability of it being a SAM attack on the aircraft at being well into the 90-99% bracket,” he said.

Osprey Flight Solutions, an aviation security firm based in the United Kingdom, warned its clients that the “Azerbaijan Airlines flight was likely shot down by a Russian military air-defense system.” Osprey provides analysis for carriers still flying into Russia after Western airlines halted their flights during the war.

Osprey CEO Andrew Nicholson said that the company had issued more than 200 alerts regarding drone attacks and air defense systems in Russia during the war.

“This incident is a stark reminder of why we do what we do,” Nicholson wrote online. “It is painful to know that despite our efforts, lives were lost in a way that could have been avoided.”

Caliber, an Azerbaijani news website, claimed that the airliner was fired upon by a Russian Pantsyr-S air defense system as it was approaching Grozny. It questioned why Russian authorities failed to close the airport despite the apparent drone raid in the area. Khamzat Kadyrov, head of Chechnya’s Security Council, said that air defenses downed drones attacking the region on Wednesday.

Caliber also asked why Russian authorities didn’t allow the plane to make an emergency landing in Grozny or other Russian airports nearby after it was hit.

Asked about the claims that the plane had been fired upon by air defense assets, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that “it would be wrong to make hypotheses before investigators make their verdict.”

Kazakhstan’s parliamentary Speaker Maulen Ashimbayev also warned against rushing to conclusions based on pictures of the plane’s fragments, describing the allegations of air defense fire as unfounded and “unethical.”

Other officials in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have similarly avoided comment on a possible cause of the crash, saying it will be up to investigators to determine it.

___

Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Aida Sultanova in London, contributed to this report.

National News

In this courtroom sketch, Salman Rushdie testifies on the witness stand gesturing how the attacker ...

Associated Press

Excerpts from Salman Rushdie’s court testimony about a harrowing attack

MAYVILLE, N.Y. (AP) — Author Salman Rushdie testified Tuesday in the trial of a man accused of attacking him with a knife just after he took his seat for a panel discussion at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York. The noted author was on the witness stand for just about an hour, during which […]

1 hour ago

President Donald Trump, from right, speaks to reporters accompanied by Interior Secretary Doug Burg...

Associated Press

Apple changes Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America based on Trump’s order

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America on its maps Tuesday after an order by President Donald Trump was made official by the U.S. Geographic Names Information System. The move follows Google, which announced last month that it would make the change once the official listing was […]

1 hour ago

FILE - PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger speaks during the PBS Executive Session at the Television...

Associated Press

With public broadcasters pressured by the Trump administration, PBS shuts down its diversity office

NEW YORK (AP) — PBS says it is shutting down its office of diversity, equity and inclusion to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order, firing the two executives brought on when the effort was begun in 2021. The move, eliminating the jobs held by Cecilia Loving and her associate Gina Leow, comes as public […]

2 hours ago

Associated Press

Court sets March 19 date for first execution in Arizona in over 2 years

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Supreme Court set a March 19 execution date Tuesday for a man who pleaded guilty to murder more than 17 years ago and recently said his death sentence was “long overdue.” It would be the state’s first application of the death penalty in more than two years. The court issued […]

3 hours ago

Scrim, a fugitive New Orleans rescue dog who gained fame evading a city-wide effort search for mont...

Associated Press

Fugitive dog recaptured in New Orleans after gaining national fame for escapades

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A scruffy New Orleans rescue dog famed for evading a monthslong effort to recapture him using nets and tranquilizer rifles has finally been caught and returned to domestic life Tuesday. Scrim, a 17-pound mutt who has become a Louisiana folk hero, first escaped from his adopted family in April and roamed […]

3 hours ago

Associated Press

Alabama seeks to join states that allow the death penalty for child rape

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers on Tuesday advanced legislation that would allow child rapists to be sentenced to death as some Republicans hope to entice the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit the decision banning capital punishment for such crimes. The Alabama House of Representatives voted 86-5 for the bill that would allow prosecutors to […]

3 hours ago

Some experts say Russia air defense caused Azerbaijan plane crash