Ukrainian official accuses Russia of shooting down Azerbaijan Airlines plane
In this handout picture released by Kazakhstan's emergency situations ministry, emergency specialists work at the crash site of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet near the western Kazakh city of Aktau on December 25, 2024. (Photo AFP)
A senior Ukrainian defense official has publicly accused Russian forces of shooting down Azerbaijan Airlines Flight J2-8243, challenging the official narrative of Wednesday’s crash that killed 38 people.
Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council, claimed the civilian aircraft was struck by Russian air defense systems during its approach to Grozny. He suggested there would be attempts to “cover up” evidence, including the distinctive damage patterns visible on the aircraft’s wreckage.
“Russia should have closed the airspace over Grozny but failed to do so,” Kovalenko stated. “The plane was damaged by the Russians and was sent to Kazakhstan instead of being urgently landed in Grozny to save lives.”
His allegations align with emerging physical evidence from the crash site, including widespread shrapnel damage to the aircraft’s fuselage and survivor accounts of an external explosion. Passenger Subhonkul Rakhimov previously reported finding shrapnel holes in his life jacket after an explosion during the flight’s third landing attempt in heavy fog.
The incident occurred during a period of heightened military activity in southern Russia, with confirmed drone strikes in the nearby regions of Ingushetia and North Ossetia. Flight tracking data shows the Embraer 190 jet deviated significantly from its intended flight path before crashing near Aktau, Kazakhstan.
Russian aviation authorities maintain the crash resulted from a bird strike, though aviation experts have questioned this explanation given the aircraft’s dramatic course deviation and pattern of damage.
The crash has already prompted Azerbaijan Airlines to suspend flights to Russia’s Chechnya region. Kazakh and Azerbaijani authorities continue their joint investigation into the incident, which left 29 survivors requiring hospital treatment.
