Azerbaijan Airlines cites 'external interference' as the cause of the crash of flight J2-8243
The airline's statements come amid speculation of a possible shoot-down by Russian anti-aircraft defenses.
Emergency services at the crash site of flight J2-8243.
Azerbaijan Airlines, operator of flight J2-8243 that crashed on Christmas Day in Kazakhstan has officially stated that the crash may have been due to "external interference." A day earlier, Azeri investigative sources assured Reuters and Euronews that the plane was shot down by Russian air defense.
The Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 aircraft, with 67 people on board, was making a flight on Wednesday from Baku, capital of Azerbaijan, to Grozny, capital of the Chechen republic, in Russian territory. Within the same time frame, Russia admitted that its anti-aircraft defenses were deployed and active due to aerial drone activity over its airspace.
The aircraft crashed due to unknown circumstances and caught fire near Aktau, a Caspian Sea port in western Kazakhstan which is far from the planned route. Kazakh authorities reported 38 fatalities.
Since the crash of Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243, several experts have assured, analyzing available images and elements, that the plane has traces of shrapnel in its fuselage. The sources quoted by Reuters Euronews assured that Russian defenses launched a missile that detonated near the civilian plane, sending its shrapnel against the aircraft.
Azerbaijan Airlines suspends flights to Russia
Azerbaijan Airlines announced that it is suspending its flights to several Russian cities due to "preliminary results of the investigation into the crash of the Embraer 190 aircraft operating Baku-Grozny flight J2-8243 of Azerbaijan Airlines point to external, physical and technical interference."
On Friday, the Kremlin said it would not comment until the investigation was completed. "There is an ongoing investigation, and until the conclusions are known, we consider that we have no right to make any comments and will not do so," Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
The scenario is reminiscent of what happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in 2014, shot down with a Russian missile as it flew over Ukrainian Donetsk. In total, 248 people were killed.
U.S. sources back missile version
The official added that if these indications are confirmed, it would expose what the United States calls Russia's "recklessness" in the offensive in Ukraine.
Various media, citing Azerbaijani government sources, reported the hypothesis of a shoot-down.
Subjonkul Rakhimov, a passenger who survived, told Russian state media there was an explosion outside the plane.
"I wouldn't say it happened inside because part of the fuselage near where I was sitting flew out," he said.
Russia confirms flight J2-8243 requested emergency landing
Russia's civil aviation director said Friday that the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Kazakhstan attempted to land in Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, amid a Ukrainian drone attack.
The head of Russia's civil aviation agency Rosaviatsia, Dmitry Yadrov, said on Telegram that the situation at Grozny airport on Wednesday was "very difficult" due to attacks by "Ukrainian military drones."
"At that time, Ukrainian military drones launched terrorist attacks on civilian infrastructure in the cities of Grozny and Vladikavkaz," Yadrov said, referring to another locality in the Russian Caucasus.
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