Survivors and crew members of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day reported hearing at least one loud bang before the aircraft crashed in a ball of fire, fueling speculation that a Russian anti-aircraft missile may have been responsible. The Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized for the “tragic incident” but did not admit responsibility for the disaster. The plane, an Embraer 190 passenger jet, crashed near Aktau in Kazakhstan after diverting away from an area of southern Russia where air defense systems have been used against Ukrainian attack drones. 38 people were killed in the crash, while 29 survived. Survivors described hearing explosions in the sky and experiencing damage to the plane before it crashed.
Passenger Subhonkul Rakhimov said he began to recite prayers after hearing a loud bang, believing the plane was going to fall apart. Another survivor, Jerova Salihat, mentioned that something exploded near her leg. Flight attendant Aydan Rahimli stated that oxygen masks released automatically after a noise, and another bang was heard. A survivor, Zulfugar Asadov, denied Kazakh officials’ claims of an oxygen canister explosion, stating that the noise sounded like something hitting the plane from outside. The pilots of the aircraft died in the crash, and the plane crashed after flying hundreds of miles off its scheduled route.
Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized for the tragedy in a call with the Azerbaijani President, but did not admit fault. The Kremlin stated that the tragedy occurred in Russian airspace during attacks by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, and Russian air defense systems had repelled these attacks. U.S. National Security spokesperson John Kirby indicated that the possibility of the plane being brought down by Russian air defense systems was being considered. The Azerbaijani government suggested that the plane was struck by a weapon, and preliminary results from Azerbaijan’s probe pointed towards a Russian anti-aircraft missile or shrapnel from it as the cause of the crash.
Azerbaijan Airlines has suspended flights to eight additional Russian airports following the crash. Flights between Baku and eight Russian airports have been suspended since December 28, in addition to previous suspensions between Baku and two other Russian airports. The Russian aviation watchdog stated that the plane rerouted from Chechnya due to dense fog and local alerts over Ukrainian drones, with offers made for alternative airports to land, though the pilot ultimately chose Kazakhstan. The airline expects Russia to acknowledge the shooting down of the aircraft due to established facts. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refrained from commenting on claims about Russian air defenses being involved, leaving it to investigators to determine the cause of the crash.
The investigation into the crash continues, with survivor accounts and expert analysis pointing towards the plane being hit by a Russian anti-aircraft missile. Individuals briefed on the probe indicated that the preliminary results suggested the aircraft was struck by a Russian Pantsir-S air defense system, with electronic warfare systems affecting communications during the approach to Grozny. The airline attributed the crash to “external interference,” indicating the possibility of a missile or shrapnel causing the disaster. Survivors described the moments leading up to the crash, including loud noises and damage to the plane before it descended rapidly into the sea and burst into flames.
