Azerbaijan Airlines reveals cause of plane crash in Kazakhstan

The statement indicates that preliminary investigation results into the crash of Embraer 190 flight J2-8243 point to external physical and technical interference.

Azerbaijan Airlines notes that because of this, as well as the risks that may arise for flight safety, flights from Baku to several airports in Russia have been suspended.

Starting December 28, per a decision by Azerbaijan's State Civil Aviation Agency, flights will no longer be operated to Mineralnye Vody, Sochi, Volgograd, Ufa, Samara, Saratov, Nizhny Novgorod, and Vladikavkaz.

Additionally, as of December 25, the airline suspended flights from Baku to Grozny and Makhachkala.

For safety reasons, it was also decided to suspend flights of other airlines to Grozny and Makhachkala.

Plane crash in Kazakhstan

On December 25, a passenger plane, Embraer 190, crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan. The aircraft, owned by Azerbaijan Airlines, was operating flight J2-8243 from Baku to Grozny.

The crash claimed the lives of 38 people. A total of 67 passengers and crew were on board.

Initially, reports suggested the crash was caused by a collision with birds. However, later media reports claimed that the plane was shot down by Russian air defense in Grozny. The head of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, confirmed that the aircraft was brought down by a Russian Pantsir-S1 missile system on Russian territory.

According to media reports, Azerbaijan acknowledged that the crash was caused by a Russian missile. Meanwhile, Russia denies responsibility and refuses to admit its involvement in the incident.

Read more about the Kazakhstan plane crash and how Russia is trying to avoid accountability in RBC-Ukraine’s material.