The Russian government struggled on Friday to manage international anger over the growing possibility that a Russian surface-to-air missile crashed Azerbaijan Airlines Flight J2-8243 on Wednesday, killing 38 passengers.
Aviation experts and the Government of Ukraine I believed From the beginning, a missile attack was considered the most likely explanation for the crash. The plane was en route from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, when it passed through an area where Russian forces were attempting to shoot down a Ukrainian drone.
The Russian government has variously blamed bad weather and bird strikes for the plane crash, despite photos and videos of the crash site. tragic video Photographs taken by one of the surviving passengers showed clear evidence of shrapnel and bullets penetrating the plane's fuselage.
The Russian side has also not apparently explained why the downed plane was flown across the Caspian Sea to make an emergency landing in Kazakhstan rather than at a nearby Russian airport. The plane was engulfed in fire and crashed in the Kazakh city of Aktau, but 29 passengers miraculously survived the crash on Christmas Day.
Kazakhstan, keep that in mind blossoming relationship Relations with neighboring Russia remain cautious regarding the cause of the plane crash. Kazakh officials have declined to comment until a full investigation is completed.
Azerbaijan, which is also seeking closer ties with Russia, has been reluctant to publicly dispute Moscow's story, but anonymous Azerbaijani officials told reporters that the plane had been shot down. He complained that things were becoming more and more obvious.
Reuters published The latest such report on Thursday cited “four sources with knowledge of the preliminary results of Azerbaijan's investigation into the disaster.” Sources said investigators believe the plane was hit by a Russian Pantsir-S air defense missile, which is consistent with the explanation advanced by Ukrainian intelligence within hours of the crash.
“No one claims that it was done intentionally. However, given the established facts, the Baku president expects the Russian side to confess to shooting down the Azerbaijani plane,” one of the officials said. said.
U.S. officials agreed with the investigation's preliminary findings in comments to Reuters on Thursday, and Canada's Foreign Ministry also expressed concern about the possible shootdown and urged Russia to “allow an open and transparent investigation into the incident. The findings called for acceptance of the Russian government's actions. ”
Azerbaijan Airlines said On Friday, it announced that preliminary results of the crash investigation showed the plane suffered “external physical and technical interference.” Aviation experts said the plane's erratic flight path suggested it was subject to electronic countermeasures such as GPS jamming.
“We will never forget the loved ones we lost in the Embraer 190 crash. This loss has left a deep emotional scar across our community. It has inspired us to be more compassionate and connect with each other. We are reminded of this,” he said in a statement.
Samir Ruzayev, President of Azerbaijan Airlines, I saluted The pilots of Flight J2-8243 were praised for their incredible feat of landing the plane and giving some of the passengers a chance of survival.
“Unfortunately, two experienced pilots and a guide lost their lives in the accident. Their heroic deed will never be forgotten,” Ruzaev said.
“While this tragic accident caused great loss to our nation, the crew's courageous dedication to the mission and prioritization of human life until their final moments have immortalized their names in history.” said.
Azerbaijani website Caliber describes the strange course the crashed plane took across the Caspian Sea before making an emergency landing. provided Thursday's grim theory – The Russians wanted the plane to fall into the ocean so there would be no survivors and no wreckage left for investigators to examine.
As is known, Grozny airport refused to land aircraft. In addition, Azerbaijani aircraft were also denied landing permission at Makhachkala and Mineralnye Vody airports. The disoriented crew was attacked by air defense fire and electronic warfare (EW) systems and was transferred to the Kazakh city of Aktau. It is believed that this recommendation was made with one goal: to crash the aircraft into the Caspian Sea, killing all witnesses and sinking the aircraft. However, this is just our assumption
Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed that “It is wrong for investigators to make assumptions before making a verdict,” he said Thursday.
“We simply cannot do that, and no one should do that,” he demanded.
Kazakhstan's parliament speaker Mauren Asinbayev defended Russia, calling speculation about the cause of the crash “unethical.”
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev similarly gave Russia whatever protection he could, blaming “deteriorating weather conditions” for the plane's disastrous course.
“The video of the plane crash has been published in the media and social networks and can be seen by everyone. However, the reason for the crash is not yet known,” Aliyev said.
“There are various theories, but I think it is too early to discuss. This matter must be thoroughly investigated,” he said.
