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Anonymous sources within the Azerbaijani government cited by Euronews have confirmed that Flight 8243 that crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday morning was damaged by a Russian surface-to-air missile during drone activity over Grozny, where the flight was originally headed from Baku. This claim has also been reported by Caliber.Az, a publication reportedly linked to Azerbaijani authorities.
Following the crash, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister Qanat Bozymbaev said it was premature to draw conclusions about the origin of the holes found on the crashed plane based on preliminary data.
The aircraft, an Embraer 190 jet operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, was en route from Baku to Grozny on Dec. 25 when it made an emergency landing request at Aktau Airport in Kazakhstan for unspecified reasons but ultimately crashed. Of the 67 people on board, 38 were killed, while the remaining passengers survived. Among the dead were seven Russian citizens.
One theory indicates that the Embraer 190 was unable to land in Grozny due to fog, while another suggests it was forced to divert because the North Caucasus region was experiencing a drone attack at the time, leaving Grozny Airport unable to accept flights. Images from the crash site reveal holes in the tail section of the plane. Azerbaijan Airlines has announced the suspension of flights to Grozny and Makhachkala until the investigation into the crash is concluded.
An independent aviation expert, who was involved in the investigation of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, told The Insider under the condition of anonymity that Kazakh authorities are likely to delegate the investigation of the Embraer 190 crash to the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC).