Official announcements from aviation authorities in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, or Russia

Azerbaijan Airlines Crash in Kazakhstan Kills 38, Linked to Ukrainian Drone Attack

Dec 27, 2024, 03:08 PM

Russia's aviation chief, Dmitry Yadrov, stated that a Ukrainian drone attack was underway in the Chechnya region when an Azerbaijani airliner attempted to land in Grozny before diverting to Kazakhstan and crashing. The incident, which occurred earlier this week, resulted in the death of 38 people and injuries to all 29 survivors. The plane, operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, was en route from Baku to Grozny but turned toward Aktau, Kazakhstan, where it crashed during a landing attempt amid deep fog in Grozny. Yadrov noted that the area was closed to air traffic due to the drone attack. Azerbaijan Airlines has attributed the crash to unspecified 'physical and technical interference' and has suspended flights to several Russian airports. Authorities in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia have not disclosed a definitive cause, pending an official investigation. Some aviation experts have suggested that the plane might have been hit by Russian air defenses responding to the Ukrainian drone attack, a claim Yadrov did not address.