Preliminary findings from Azerbaijan’s investigation into the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight in Kazakhstan suggest that the plane was downed by a Russian air defence system, specifically the Pantsir-S system, resulting in the deaths of 38 people. The flight crashed on Wednesday in a ball of fire near Aktau, Kazakhstan, after veering off its course from southern Russia.
A source familiar with the Azerbaijani investigation reported that the plane was struck by Russian air defences, with its communications being jammed by electronic warfare systems as it approached Grozny. The source clarified that no one claims this was intentional, but Baku expects Russia to admit to shooting down the aircraft. Three other sources confirmed the preliminary conclusion of the investigation.
Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister declined to confirm or deny whether Russian air defences were responsible, while the Kremlin stated that it was wrong to speculate before the official investigation concluded.
