Azerbaijani and U.S. officials suggest plane that crashed may have been hit by weapons fire

Russian air defense systems may have been responsible for the downing of an Azerbaijani airliner, intensifying pressure on Moscow and prompting investigations.

A U.S. official stated on Friday, December 27, 2024, that there are indications the Azerbaijani plane was struck by Russian air defenses, while Azerbaijan's Minister of Digital Development and Transportation, Rashan Nabiyev, also suggested that expert analyses and survivor accounts point to external interference.

The assessments by Nabiyev and U.S. National Security Spokesman John Kirby align with views from aviation experts who believe Russian air defenses, responding to a Ukrainian drone attack, may have caused the crash. Russian officials, who acknowledged drone activity in the region where the plane attempted to land, have not commented on these allegations.

Kirby stated that initial evidence points to Russian air defense systems as a possible cause but refrained from providing further details, citing ongoing investigations. He suggested the U.S. assessment was based on intelligence as well as expert evaluations of the incident.

The Azerbaijan Airlines flight was en route from Baku to Grozny, the Chechen regional capital, on Wednesday, December 25, 2024, when it diverted toward Kazakhstan and crashed while attempting to land. The crash resulted in 38 fatalities and injured all 29 survivors. Survivors have reported hearing explosions and experiencing injuries consistent with external impacts.

Azerbaijan Airlines attributed the crash to “physical and technical interference” and suspended flights to multiple Russian airports. Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to speculate, emphasizing the need for a thorough investigation.

If confirmed, the incident would mark the second major aviation disaster linked to Russian air defenses following the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in 2014. That crash, caused by a Russian missile over eastern Ukraine, killed all 298 onboard, leading to convictions in a Dutch court.

Azerbaijani investigators are collaborating with Russian authorities in Grozny to determine the cause of the crash. Azerbaijan Airlines has since expanded flight suspensions to additional Russian cities. Other airlines, including Kazakhstan’s Qazaq Air, FlyDubai, and Israel's El Al, have also suspended flights to Russian destinations, citing security concerns.

Published: December 28, 2024.