Russia reportedly tried to crash the Azerbaijan Airlines plane into the sea by refusing permission to land it after a missile attack before jamming its navigation system.
On Christmas Day, the plane was struck by a Russian surface-to-air missile, causing the plane to crash in Kazakhstan – a tragedy that claimed the lives of 38 people.
Sources told Euronews that the missile was fired at Flight 8432 during drone aerial activity over Grozny, the Chechen capital, citing a preliminary investigation.
They said that despite urgent requests, the pilot was not allowed to land at Russian airports and was instead ordered to fly on to Kazakhstan.
Speaking to
The news channel also stated that the plane was subjected to “extreme GPS jamming,” which forced the hero pilot, Aleksandr Kalyaninov, to divert the flight over the Caspian Sea, where it eventually landed in Aktau, Kazakhstan.
Local media, citing government sources, suggested that jammers “crippled” the plane’s communications systems.
According to Flightradar24 dataThe aircraft departed Azerbaijan’s capital Baku at 03:55, and valid position data was received from the aircraft until 04:25, when the flight encountered significant GPS interference.
This is the horrific moment a passenger plane hit the ground in a fireball during an emergency landing on Christmas Day
After Russian air defenses hit an Azerbaijani aircraft over Grozny (yellow circle), it requested an emergency landing. Russia refused landings at Nalchik, Vladikavkaz and Makhachkala airports (red circles), but diverted them to Kazakhstan across the Caspian Sea
Flightradar24 receivers received no data from the aircraft between 04:40 and 05:03 and between a second interruption from 05:04 to 05:13. The plane was sent to fly from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Russia
The plane was subjected to ‘extreme GPS jamming’, forcing the hero pilot, Aleksandr Kalyaninov, to divert the flight over the Caspian Sea, where it eventually landed in Aktau, Kazakhstan.
The plane stopped pinging position data altogether during the period between 4:25 a.m. and 4:37 a.m., the data showed.
And between 4:37 a.m. and 4:40 a.m., the plane likely sent incorrect position data, the flight tracker claims.
Flightradar24 receivers received no data from the aircraft between 04:40 and 05:03 and between a second interruption from 05:04 to 05:13.
From 5:13 a.m. to 6:07 a.m., all data received from the aircraft was missing position information, the report said, and from 6:07 a.m. to the end of the flight at 6:28 a.m., position data was received from the aircraft .
Government sources said earlier that the plane was hit by a missile fired by a Pantsir-S air defense system from Chechnya’s Naursky district.
Yesterday’s crash killed 38 passengers when the plane attempted an emergency landing before erupting in a fireball.
Russia has tried to play down speculation that the plane was shot down by a Russian missile and has urged patience while the investigation is carried out.
Kazakhstan has said it would conduct an investigation into the crash, suggesting it would cooperate with Azerbaijan but not Russia. Azerbaijan would conduct its own investigation.
The wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer 190 lies on the ground near Aktau Airport, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, December 25
A source familiar with the Azerbaijani investigation told Reuters that while “no one is claiming it was done on purpose,” Baku “expects the Russian side to confess that the Azerbaijani plane was shot down.”
It comes as Azerbaijan observed a nationwide day of mourning for the plane crash victims. National flags were lowered this morning, traffic across the country stopped at noon and signals sounded from ships and trains as the country observed a nationwide moment of silence for the victims of the horrific crash.
Images from the crash site show rescuers searching for survivors on the Azerbaijani Airlines flight from Baku to the Russian city of Grozny, which crashed with 67 passengers and five crew on board.
Chaos ensued as rescuers entered the severed rear of the plane, where several people lay on the ground. Amazingly, some were found alive.
A trapped woman shouted to rescuers: ‘Please help me!’. A firefighter asked her if she needed help getting up, and she confirmed that she needed to be lifted from the rubble.
It is understood that at least 29 people who reportedly survived the crash were found in the rear section of the plane, with the front badly destroyed by fire.
The latest figures show that 22 of the 29 survivors are being treated in hospital, seven of whom are in serious condition. At least ten people die after reportedly being thrown from the cabin.
One terrifying video shows the moment the plane caught fire and broke into several parts as it hit the ground, sending thick black smoke billowing from the wrecked plane.
The front of the plane caught fire as the plane hit the ground
At least ten people died after being thrown from the plane
There are people standing next to the back of the crashed passenger plane
Later, bloodied and bruised passengers were seen stumbling from a section of the fuselage that remained intact.
Azerbaijan Airlines, the country’s national carrier, said the Embraer 190 had “made an emergency landing” about three kilometers from Aktau, an oil and gas hub on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea.
‘A plane on the Baku-Grozny route crashed near the city of Aktau. It is owned by Azerbaijan Airlines,” the Kazakh ministry said on Telegram.
The Embraer E190AR with registration number 4K-AZ65 transmitted a distress signal at an altitude of 650 meters above the Caspian Sea.
Prior to the crash, the crew had reported a strong impact to the hull. They assumed the plane had hit a flock of birds, but evidence later mounted that it was a misguided Russian air defense strike.
Authorities in Kazakhstan said they had begun investigating several possible versions of what happened, including a technical problem, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported.
After the crash, Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, returned home from Russia, where he was due to attend a summit on Wednesday, Russia’s RIA news agency reported.
Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechnya’s Kremlin-backed leader, offered his condolences in a statement, saying those treated at the hospital were in an extremely serious condition and that he and others would pray for their speedy recovery.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his condolences to Aliyev over the loss of life, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
The photo shows rescuers crawling into the plane wreckage looking for survivors
‘Unfortunately, the President of Azerbaijan, Aliyev, was forced to leave St. Petersburg (where he had a summit). Putin has already called him and expressed his condolences in connection with the crash of the Azerbaijani plane in Aktau,” Peskov said.
“We deeply sympathize with those who lost their family members and friends in this plane crash and wish a speedy recovery to all who managed to survive.”
Residents of Aktau have been asked to donate blood for the survivors.
Authorities in Kazakhstan said a government commission had been set up to investigate what happened and its members had been ordered to fly to the site and ensure the families of the dead and injured received the help they need had.
Kazakhstan would cooperate with Azerbaijan in the investigation, the government said.
Grozny – the destination – is the capital of the republic of Chechnya, a Russian region controlled by Vladimir Putin ally Ramzan Kadyrov, who regularly sends troops to fight in the war against Ukraine.