The passenger aircraft Embraer 190 of Azerbaijan Airlines, which crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan, was shot down by a Russian surface-to-air missile system. This was reported by Andrey Kovalenko, the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council.
He reminded that the plane was on a flight from Baku to Grozny.
"Russia should have closed the airspace over Grozny, but it did not. The aircraft was damaged by Russians and was sent to Kazakhstan instead of making an emergency landing in Grozny to save lives," Kovalenko noted.
Passenger Plane Crash in Kazakhstan - Latest News
The Embraer E190AR aircraft of Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) crashed on the morning of December 25 in the city of Aktau in western Kazakhstan. There were 67 people on board, including citizens of Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
According to the latest data, 38 people died in the crash. 29 individuals, including two children, who were injured in the incident, are currently in hospitals. 11 of them are in stable but serious condition, while the others are in moderately severe condition.
A black box was found at the crash site and has been handed over to investigators. The commission investigating the disaster is headed by Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbaev.
The official cause of the crash has not yet been determined, but traces resembling damage from air defense missiles are visible on the aircraft's fuselage.
It was also reported that Azerbaijan Airlines has suspended flights from Baku to Grozny and Makhachkala until the investigation into the crash is completed.