Azerbaijan Airlines flight 'may have been shot down by Russian air defense system'

Credit: X / @yarotrof

The Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed on Christmas Day “may have been shot down by Russian air defense forces,” a UK-based aviation security firm said.

The crash immediately sparked speculation that the plane was shot down by Russia after it veered hundreds of kilometers in the wrong direction and crashed with holes in the fuselage.

Russian military officials have suggested that the plane, which crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau, may have been mistaken for a Ukrainian plane.

The incident, which killed at least 38 people and injured 29 others, occurred after a major deviation, possibly caused by GPS jamming.

The Embraer 190 plane made an emergency landing 3km from Aktau, an oil and gas field on the east coast of the Caspian Sea, on Wednesday.

It was flying from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan to Grozny, the capital of Chechnya in the northern Caucasus.

Credit: @clashreport/X

Footage of the crash, circulating online, showed the plane making a descent before crashing into the ground in a fireball.

Some pictures show part of its fuselage torn from the wings and the rest of the plane lying face down on the grass.

Russian military bloggers and aviation analysts have suggested that the holes in the fuselage of the ship may have been caused by an explosion from an anti-aircraft missile.

Crews reported a mid-air collision before the plane made an emergency landing, which Russian aviation authorities initially suspected was caused by a flock of birds.

However, it was later revealed that one of the plane's oxygen tanks had exploded, leading to speculation that the collision was in fact related to Russian air defense aircraft.

Vladimir Putin's forces attacked the area where the plane was flying, on a route not planned by the airline.

The plane was trying to land at the Russian airport in Grozny, when it was attacked by Ukrainian drones.

Osprey Flight Solutions, an aviation security company based in the United Kingdom, has warned its customers that “Azerbaijan Airlines flight may have been shot down by a Russian air defense system”.

Osprey provides an analysis of the carriers flying to Russia after Western airlines grounded their aircraft during the war.

Andrew Nicholson, Osprey's chief executive, said the company had issued more than 200 warnings about drone attacks and air defense systems in Russia during the war.

“This incident is a powerful reminder of why we do what we do,” Nicholson wrote online. “It is sad to know that despite our efforts, people's lives were lost in a way that could have been avoided.”

Credit: @clashreport/X

Baza, a Telegram channel that liaises with Russian security forces, said “the holes look like those left after a puncture or an explosion with impact elements”.

Rybar, a powerful Telegram channel with 1.3 million subscribers, also confirmed Baza's description, saying the damage to the fuselage resembled “anti-aircraft missile elements”.

He continued: “The plane itself was headed for Grozny – at that time, the attack by Ukrainian UAVs that had been cleared was actually fired from the region.” Several drones were fired over Vladikavkaz in North Ossetia and neighboring Ingushetia.”

After the accident, Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, said he was returning home from Russia where he had been attending a conference on Wednesday, reported the Russian media RIA.

Mr. Putin expressed his sympathy to Mr. Aliyev following the accident, said Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman.

“Unfortunately, Azerbaijan's president Aliyev was forced to leave St Petersburg. “Putin has already called him and expressed his condolences about the crash of the Azerbaijani plane in Aktau,” said Mr. Peskov.

“We deeply sympathize with those who lost their relatives and friends in the plane crash and we wish a speedy recovery to all those who managed to survive,” he added.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.