News
Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) Flight 8243 from Baku to Grozny was subjected to “physical and technical external interference” in Russian airspace prior to crashing in Aktau, Kazakhstan, according to a statement released by the airline's press service. The flight is believed to have suffered damage from a Russian air defense missile in the vicinity of Grozny before being redirected to land in Aktau — which is located on the opposite side of the Caspian Sea.
The statement further noted that, “considering the risks that may arise in aviation security,” the State Civil Aviation Agency of Azerbaijan has decided to suspend AZAL flights to the following Russian cities:
- Mineralnye Vody
- Sochi
- Volgograd
- Ufa
- Samara
- Saratov
- Nizhny Novgorod
- Vladikavkaz
Following the crash on Dec. 25, AZAL had already canceled flights to Grozny, the capital of Russia’s Chechen Republic, and Makhachkala, located in the nearby Russian region of Dagestan. Airlines from other countries — including Kazakhstan’s Qazaq Air and Israel’s El Al — have also begun suspending flights to Russia.
After analyzing photos and videos of the Flight 8243’s damaged tail section at the crash site, aviation experts suspect that the plane was targeted by a Russian air defense missile. On the morning of Dec. 25, Russian air defense systems around Grozny had been activated in response to a drone attack.
Initially, Rosaviatsiya (Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency) claimed that the crash had been caused by a bird strike. However, the agency later acknowledged that Grozny and Vladikavkaz came under drone attacks on Dec. 25, prompting the implementation of the “Carpet” (“Kover”) closed-skies protocol, which mandates the immediate evacuation of all aircraft from the affected airspace. Rosaviatsiya also claimed that the Azerbaijan Airlines plane was unable to land in Grozny due to heavy fog and that it had thus decided to divert to Aktau.
Surviving flight attendant Zulfugar Asadov recounted that after the plane was unable to land in Grozny due to fog, it changed its route. After that, a strange noise was heard outside, causing panic among the passengers. “Something outside struck my arm. I had a deep laceration, as if I had been hit with an axe,” the flight attendant reported. One of the surviving passengers, now hospitalized, told AzTV that an explosion occurred near her feet.
Flight attendant Aydan Ragimli described two impacts: “After the first impact, the oxygen masks in the cabin dropped, and we rushed to check what had happened. At that moment, the second impact occurred, during which flight attendant Zulfugar Bey suffered an injury to his left arm.” The dangling oxygen masks can be seen in a video recorded inside the cabin before the crash. The emergency oxygen mask deployment system is triggered by depressurization or pressure disruption on the plane.
Apart from Rosaviatsiya, no Russian authorities have commented thus far on the Embraer 190 crash. Putin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that the Kremlin would remain silent on the topic until the investigation is complete. Official information about the Dec. 25 drone attacks in Chechnya has been scant.
Official information about the Dec. 25 drone attacks in Chechnya has been scant. Khamzat Kadyrov, Chechnya’s Security Council Secretary and a nephew of Ramzan Kadyrov, posted an Instagram story that read, “Reports that drones struck any targets are false; everything was shot down!” An analysis of Russian evening news broadcasts on Dec. 26 showed that Kremlin-backed television channels refrained from mentioning the mounting reports that the plane appears to have been struck by an Russian air defense missile.
The crash of Flight 8243 claimed 38 lives, including 23 citizens of Azerbaijan, seven citizens of Russia, and six citizens of Kazakhstan. Among the victims were the pilots, Igor Kshnyakin and Alexander Kalyaninov. A total of 67 people were on board, including five crew members.
The pilots, as well as flight attendant Hokume Aliyeva, are slated to be buried at the II Alley of Honor in Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku.