Azerbaijan airlines crash: Investigations point to Russian missile, Kremlin urges patience

Azerbaijani and U.S. officials suspect a Russian missile caused the crash of an Azerbaijani passenger jet, killing 38 of the 67 onboard. The Embraer 190, en route from Baku to Grozny, veered off course across the Caspian Sea before crashing near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Wednesday.

Azerbaijani sources, cited by Caliber and Euronews, claim a Pantsir-S air defense system may have accidentally downed the plane. U.S. officials and military experts echoed this theory, comparing the damage to the 2014 MH17 tragedy. Reports suggest shrapnel hit passengers and crew mid-flight, causing catastrophic damage.

Kazakh officials recovered black-box flight recorders and reported 29 survivors, 11 in critical condition. Eyewitness Elmira, who aided at the crash site, described survivors as bloodied and desperate, recalling a girl’s plea to save her mother.

President Ilham Aliyev declared a day of mourning and canceled a CIS summit visit to Russia. He extended condolences to the victims’ families and wished the injured a swift recovery.

Initially, Azerbaijan Airlines blamed bird strikes but retracted the statement. Flight Radar data revealed the plane’s deviation and circling before the crash. Survivors included 37 Azerbaijanis, six Kazakhs, three Kyrgyz, and 16 Russians.

The Kremlin, through spokesman Dmitry Peskov, urged patience, cautioning against premature conclusions. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to Aliyev, while an investigation continues into the crash’s cause.

This tragic event has left nations grieving and raised critical questions about regional air safety.