38 passengers were killed on Wednesday after Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8432 crashed while attempting to make an emergency landing near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan.
Azerbaijani government sources have exclusively confirmed to foreign media on Thursday that a Russian surface-to-air missile caused the downing of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane in Aktau on Wednesday.
According to sources, the missile was fired at Flight 8432 during drone aerial activity over Grozny, and shrapnel struck passengers and cabin crew as it exploded near the plane mid-flight.
Government sources said the damaged plane was not allowed to land at any Russian airport despite the pilots' requests for an emergency landing and was ordered to fly across the Caspian Sea to Aktau in Kazakhstan.
According to reports, the plane's GPS navigation systems were jammed along the flight path over the sea, A2 CNN writes.
The missile was fired by a Pantsir-S air defense system, Baku-based international newspaper AnewZ reported, citing Azerbaijani government sources.
According to Russian sources, at the time when the Azerbaijan Airlines flight was passing over the territory of Chechnya, Russian air defense forces were actively trying to shoot down Ukrainian UAVs.
The head of the Security Council of the Chechen Republic, Khamzat Kadyrov, confirmed that a drone strike in Grozny took place on Wednesday morning, stressing that there were no casualties or damage.
If these preliminary reports are confirmed, this would be the second time in a decade that Russian forces have destroyed a commercial airliner after the downing of MH17 in Ukraine. This time, among the victims are Russian citizens themselves, as well as those from neighboring countries.
Further investigation into Wednesday's crash is expected to reveal the circumstances of the missile launch, the refusal to land at a nearby airport in Russia and the instruction to cross the sea with a damaged aircraft. (A2 Televizion)
A2 CNN Livestream
MUND TE LEXONI GJITHASHTU
