A preliminary investigation confirms that a Russian surface-to-air missile caused the Azerbaijan Airlines Flight J2-8432 crash on Wednesday near Aktau, Kazakhstan, killing 38 passengers.
Azerbaijani government sources revealed the missile, fired from a Pantsir-S air defence system during a drone attack near Grozny, exploded mid-flight, fatally damaging the aircraft. Pilots’ requests for emergency landing at Russian airports were denied, forcing the flight to cross the Caspian Sea with jammed GPS navigation before crashing near Aktau in Kazakhstan.
The incident marks the second confirmed case of Russian forces downing a commercial aircraft, following the MH17 tragedy in 2014. Investigations continue into the circumstances of the missile launch and Russia’s refusal to allow an emergency landing.
Source: Euronews
