A Russian surface-to-air missile was the cause of the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane in Aktau on December 25. This was reported by Euronews, citing sources within the Azerbaijani government.
According to the publication's sources, the missile was fired at flight 8432, which was traveling from Baku to Grozny, during "aerial activity of a drone" over Grozny. The missile exploded near the aircraft, damaging its fuselage.
The crew of the damaged aircraft requested an emergency landing, but they were denied landing rights at any Russian airports, after which they were instructed to fly over the Caspian Sea towards Aktau (Kazakhstan).
Reports indicate that the aircraft's GPS navigation systems were jammed throughout the flight over the sea.
The Embraer plane of Azerbaijan Airlines, which was en route from Baku to Grozny, crashed near Aktau on the morning of December 25.
There were 67 people on board, including five crew members. As a result of the crash, 38 people lost their lives.
Initially, theories suggested that the plane's crash might have been caused by a collision with a flock of birds or an explosion of an oxygen cylinder on board.
Following the crash in Aktau, videos emerged showing damage to the Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft. On the fuselage of the surviving wreckage in the tail section, traces resembling damage from missile debris were observed.
It is known that Russian air defense forces were active in the aircraft's landing zone, repelling an attack from Ukrainian drones.