A Russian surface-to-air missile was reportedly responsible for the crash of Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8432, which claimed the lives of 38 passengers, Azerbaijani media has reported.
According to Azerbaijani officials cited by the Baku-based news agency AnewZ, preliminary investigations indicate that the missile was launched from a Russian Pantsir-S defence system as the plane approached Grozny in Chechnya on the morning of Wednesday, December 25. Officials added that GPS jamming, previously reported by Flight Radar 24, caused the aircraft to lose communication with air traffic control while flying over Russian territory.
Drone strikes were reported in Chechnya and surrounding North Caucasus regions earlier that morning. AnewZ noted that under such conditions, Russian authorities were obligated to close the airspace to civilian flights but failed to do so for unknown reasons.
Initially, Kadyrov Grozny International Airport attributed the plane’s rerouting over the Caspian Sea to thick fog. However, after regaining communication, the aircraft reappeared on radar at a low altitude before crashing in western Kazakhstan.
AnewZ further reported that the plane was denied landing clearance at Grozny and nearby airports after being targeted by air defence systems. It attempted to divert to western Kazakhstan but ultimately crashed near Aktau, a major oil and gas hub.
Azerbaijan Airlines stated that the flight carried 62 passengers and five crew members. Kazakh officials, who are also investigating the incident, confirmed 38 fatalities and 29 survivors, including three children.
