He Security and Defense Council of Ukraine has pointed out Russia as responsible of the downing of a plane Azerbaijan Airlineswhich crashed this Wednesday near Aktau, Kazakhstancausing the death of 38 people and leaving nearly 30 injured. The aircraft was flying from Bakucapital of Azerbaijan, towards Terriblein the Russian region of Chechnya.
According to Andriy Kovalenkohead of the Center for Combating Disinformation of the Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, the plane would have been hit by a Russian air defense system. “This morning the Azerbaijan Airlines ‘Embraer 190’ plane flying from Baku to Grozny was shot down by a Russian air defense system”Kovalenko said through his Telegram channel.
The incident occurred while the Russian air defense was reportedly active in response to an alleged Ukrainian attack on Grozny. Recent statements by the Ukrainian authorities seem to partially support this hypothesis.
The plane had requested an emergency landing after two hours of flight, but it was denied due to fog in Grozny. In this context, he was redirected to Makhachkalain Dagestan, and finally to AktauKazakhstan, where it ended up crashing.
Kovalenko criticized the Russian authorities, stating that They should have “closed the airspace over Grozny”. He also added that the plane “damaged by the Russians” was sent to Kazakhstan instead of facilitating an “emergency landing in Grozny” that could “save lives.”
The incident is being investigated, and Kazakh and Azeri authorities have offered preliminary explanations. While some versions suggest that the plane was hit by a flock of birds, others point to the explosion of an oxygen cylinder on board, which would have caused the pilots to lose control.
The Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan reported that 37 citizens of Azerbaijan, six from Kazakhstan, three from Kyrgyzstan and 16 Russians were traveling on board the plane. Among the 29 survivors, There are two children and citizens of Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, all of them taken to the hospital.
According to the Russian state news agency Ria Novosti11 of the injured are in serious condition. Azerbaijan has declared national mourning for this Thursday.
The accident occurs in a context of high tension between Ukraine and Russia, where military operations and incidents related to the use of air defense systems have intensified. Ukraine’s statements add a new level of controversy to the case, while an official response from the Russian authorities is awaited.
(With information from Europa Press)
