A recent plane crash involving Azerbaijan Airlines flight 8432 in Kazakhstan has sparked allegations of a missile strike, raising questions about the potential involvement of Russian air defense systems.
The Embraer 190 aircraft departed Baku, Azerbaijan, on Wednesday morning, heading to Grozny in Russia’s North Caucasus region. However, it diverted over the Caspian Sea and attempted an emergency landing in Aktau, Kazakhstan. Tragically, the plane crashed approximately 3 kilometers (2 miles) from Aktau, killing 38 passengers and injuring all 29 survivors.
The exact circumstances of the crash remain unclear, but preliminary data and expert analysis point to the involvement of external factors.
Missile Strike Allegations
Independent Russian military expert Yan Matveyev suggested that evidence from the crash site indicates damage consistent with shrapnel from a surface-to-air missile, specifically the Russian-made Pantsir-S1 air defense system.
Matveyev stated:
“It looks like the tail section of the plane was damaged by some missile fragments.”
He noted that Ukrainian drone activity over Grozny at the time of the incident might have triggered the Pantsir system. Shrapnel from an exploding missile may have struck the aircraft, resulting in its eventual crash.
Matveyev also questioned why the crew chose to continue flying over the Caspian Sea instead of attempting to land at a closer Russian airport.
“It remains a big question why the crew decided to fly the plane over the sea, when it was clearly damaged, and not land somewhere in Russia.”
Government sources told Euronews that the plane had requested an emergency landing at several Russian airports but was reportedly denied permission, forcing the pilots to continue toward Aktau.
Conflicting Statements
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev urged against premature conclusions, attributing the crash to adverse weather conditions that forced the plane off course. Meanwhile, Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, cited a bird strike as the likely cause of the emergency.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the missile allegations as speculation, stating:
“It would be wrong to make hypotheses before investigators make their verdict.”
Kazakhstan’s parliamentary speaker Maulen Ashimbayev echoed this sentiment, urging caution and describing the allegations of a missile strike as unfounded.
If confirmed, this would mark the second time in a decade that Russian forces are implicated in the downing of a commercial aircraft. In 2014, Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine by a Russian-made missile, killing all 298 people on board.
Azerbaijan observed a day of mourning on Thursday, with flags at half-staff and a nationwide moment of silence to honor the victims.
Source: Africanews
