An Azerbaijan Airlines flight that crashed in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, killing 38 people, was brought down by a Russian air defense system, according to four Azerbaijani sources.
Flight J2-8243, en route from Baku to Grozny in Russia’s southern Chechnya region, diverted from its planned route before crashing near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan. The Embraer passenger jet had flown hundreds of miles off course, crossing the Caspian Sea. Russian aviation authorities initially suggested the crash might have been caused by a bird strike but did not clarify why the plane deviated from its route.
The crash occurred amid heightened Russian air defense activity in the region following Ukrainian drone strikes, including in Chechnya earlier this month. The nearest Russian airport along the plane’s flight path had been closed on the morning of the crash.
A source involved in the Azerbaijani investigation told Reuters that preliminary findings indicated the plane was struck by a Russian Pantsir-S air defense system and its communications were disrupted by electronic warfare systems as it approached Grozny. The source added, “No one claims that it was done on purpose. However, taking into account the established facts, Baku expects the Russian side to confess to the shooting down of the Azerbaijani aircraft.”
Aviation security firm Osprey Flight Solutions issued an alert to airlines on Wednesday, citing footage of the wreckage and conditions in the airspace over southwest Russia that suggested the possibility of anti-aircraft fire. The firm noted that GPS jamming was detected throughout the flight’s journey over the region, based on publicly available flight tracking data.
Russian regions including Dagestan and Chechnya have recently been targeted by Ukrainian drones, prompting the activation of Russian air defenses. On the same day as the crash, Russia’s defense ministry reported the interception of 59 Ukrainian drones, some over closed airspace near the Sea of Azov.
