Kazakhstan plane shot down by Russian missile: Azerbaijan

Last Updated on December 28, 2024 7:05 am

Azerbaijan has claimed that the plane that crashed in Kazakhstan was shot down by a Russian surface-to-air missile.

A source in the country told Reuters on Thursday that a preliminary investigation has identified a missile strike as the cause of the crash.

Flight J2-8243 took off from Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Wednesday from Azerbaijan to Ghazni in Russia’s Chechnya. However, the plane was not allowed to land in Ghazni and was asked to cross the Caspian Sea to Kazakhstan. At the time the plane was in Chechnya, Russian forces were engaged in shooting down a Ukrainian drone.

An Azerbaijani official said the plane was hit by a Russian Pantsir-S air defense missile. When the plane entered Ghazni, its communications were disrupted by a jammer. He added, “No one is saying that Russia did it intentionally. But considering what is being found in the investigation, we expect Russia to admit it.”

However, Russia has said that a bird may have hit the plane. This caused it to crash. However, experts say that a bird strike could have damaged the engine. But it is unlikely that the plane would have crashed like this. A Russian official said that the plane could not land in Ghazni due to dense fog. So it was asked to go to Kazakhstan.

The plane that crashed was carrying 62 passengers and five crew members. Of these, 38 were killed. Miraculously, 32 survived.

Source: Reuters