AZAL plane crash in Kazakhstan - Azerbaijani President names cause
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (photo: Getty Images)
The AZAL passenger plane went down in Kazakhstan due to external interference. They were received when the plane was in Russian airspace, states Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
Aliyev noted that the passenger plane of Azerbaijan Airlines, while in the airspace of Russia, was subjected to external physical and technical interference and completely lost control.
After that, according to the President, thanks to the professionalism of the pilots, the plane was directed to the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, and was able to make an emergency landing.
The Head of State emphasized the presence of numerous holes in the plane's body. He also noted that the statements of the surviving flight attendants and passengers confirmed the fact of external physical and technical interference.
The plane crash in Kazakhstan
On December 25, an Embraer 190 passenger plane of Azerbaijan Airlines crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan. The plane was flying J2-8243 from Baku to Grozny.
There were 67 people on board, 38 of whom died, including the pilots.
Initially, Russian media reported that the cause of the crash was a collision with birds. However, later, when footage from the scene of the tragedy was published, it was reported that the plane was shot down by Russian air defense.
The head of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, confirmed that the Pantsir S1 system on the territory of Russia shot down the plane.
Read more about the plane crash in Kazakhstan and how Russia is trying to avoid responsibility in RBC-Ukraine's article.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has apologized to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for the “tragic incident” with the Azerbaijan Airlines plane. However, he did not recognize the downing of the plane by the Russian side.
