An Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, killing 38 people on board. Aviation experts suggest a Russian anti-missile battery may be responsible, citing evidence and the surrounding airspace security environment.
Emergency specialists worked at the crash site of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet near the western Kazakh city of Aktau on December 25, 2024. The crash killed 38 of the 67 on board. An aviation expert said evidence indicated that a Russia n anti-missile battery may have brought down the passenger plane. The flight attempted to make an emergency landing about 1.8 miles from Aktau, according to Azerbaijan Airlines, but instead hit the ground, erupted into a fiery ball and split into two.
Kazakh deputy prime minister Kanat Bozumbayev cautioned against assigning a cause while the investigation is in its preliminary stage. Putin's and Bozumbayev's comments come amid growing speculation that Russian air defenses may be behind the crash. Matthew Borie, chief intelligence officer at the aviation security firm Osprey Flight Solutions, said: 'Subsequent reporting and contextual information, including the follow-on video examination of the wreckage ... and circumstances surrounding the airspace security environment in southwest Russia, leads Osprey to assess that the flight was likely shot down by a Russian air defense system.' Borie said another potential theory, that the plane collided with a bird or birds, would have probably led to reports of more than one explosion and the damage to the aircraft appearing differently. A U.S. official on Thursday echoed that there are indications a Russian anti-aircraft system may have struck the Azerbaijan Airlines flight, and said if that proves to be the case, it would be more evidence of Borie said that at the time of the incident, Russian air defense forces were defending against a Ukrainian military-grade weaponized drone attack that involved Russia shooting down drones
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