Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has called for investigations to be allowed to unfold, amidst speculation that a Russian missile may have struck Azerbaijan Airlines flight 8243.
The Kremlin is denying accusations that Russian air defense forces were responsible for the downing of Azerbaijan Airlines flight 8243 on Dec. 25.
The Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer 190 aircraft was traveling from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Russia, on Wednesday when an emergency forced the aircraft to change course and crash land near Aktau, Kazakhstan. Tragically, 38 out of the 67 people onboard lost their lives in the crash.
Azerbaijani, Kazakhstani, and Russian authorities are currently investigating the factors that led to the plane crash. Photos and videos circulated online after the crash revealed marks on the aircraft’s tail, prompting some to suspect that Russian air defense forces in Grozny could have fired a missile at the plane while reportedly defending against a Ukrainian drone attack.
In a
statement provided to Russia’s state-owned TASS news agency on Dec. 26, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized the importance of allowing the crash investigation to proceed before drawing any conclusions about the cause of the incident.
“It would be premature to speculate without the final investigative report. No one should make assumptions until the inquiry is completed,” stated Peskov.
In a social media
post on Dec. 25, Ukrainian defense official Andriy Kovalenko accused Russia of failing to close their airspace over Grozny and alleged that Russian forces damaged the Azerbaijani aircraft before redirecting it to Kazakhstan, instead of allowing it to land in Grozny.
Kovalenko mentioned that video footage prior to the crash displayed shrapnel damage inside the aircraft.
Out of the 62 passengers on flight 8243, Azerbaijan Airlines
confirmed that 37 were Azerbaijani citizens, 16 were Russian citizens, six were citizens of Kazakhstan, and three were citizens of Kyrgyzstan.
Alleged
footage of the Azerbaijan Airlines flight during its final moments in the air depicted a sharp descent. Upon impact with the ground, the aircraft skidded and rolled before being engulfed in flames.
NATO spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah extended the alliance’s condolences to the families and victims of the airline crash in a Dec. 26
statement,
“We wish a swift recovery to the injured and urge for a thorough investigation,” Dakhlallah expressed.
Initially, Russian civil aviation authorities attributed the crash to a bird strike.
Following the crash, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, in his own
statement, revealed that the aircraft deviated from its course to Grozny due to deteriorating weather conditions.
According to Flightradar24, a commercial flight tracking service, the aircraft experienced GPS interference as it neared Russian airspace. The service also
highlighted multiple gaps in the aircraft’s GPS data during the flight, along with abrupt altitude changes near Aktau.
In a press statement on Dec. 26 reported by Kazakhstani state media, Khazakstani Transport Minister Marat Karabayev
stated that air traffic controllers in Kazakhstan were informed of a potential oxygen tank explosion on Azerbaijan Airlines flight 8243 before the crash. Karabayev explained the significant altitude and flight path changes as the aircraft made two unsuccessful landing attempts at the Aktau airfield before tragically crashing along the Kazakhstani coast.
