Budanov comments on Azerbaijani plane crash: Details

The Chief of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, in a comment to The War Zone, stated that the passenger plane of Azerbaijan Airlines that crashed in Kazakhstan was shot down by a Russian air defense system. The plane was struck by the Pantsir-S1 complex.

“As far as we know, the jet was shot down by a Russian Pantsir S1 air defense system on Russian terrain,” Budanov said.

A US official also told the publication that the Russian air defense system might have struck the plane.

According to Reuters, citing four sources familiar with the investigation, the Embraer 190 plane of Azerbaijan Airlines came under fire after deviating into an area where Russia was actively deploying air defense systems against Ukrainian drones.

The plane crash in Kazakhstan

On December 25, in the Aktau region of Kazakhstan, a passenger plane, Embraer 190, of Azerbaijan Airlines, crashed. The plane was carrying 67 people and was en route from Baku to Grozny.

The crash claimed the lives of 38 people, while the other passengers sustained injuries, including children.

Reports indicate that in Grozny, where drones had previously been shot down, Russian air defense targeted the plane, preventing it from landing. According to media and analysts, the plane was struck by the Pantsir surface-to-air missile and gun system. As Euronews reports, a missile exploded near the plane, and its fragments struck the passengers and crew.

In Azerbaijan, authorities confirmed that the cause of the crash near Aktau was a Russian missile. Reuters notes that Baku is awaiting Russia’s acknowledgment of shooting down the Azerbaijani plane.

More details about the plane crash in Kazakhstan and how Russia is concealing the air defense version can be found in the RBC-Ukraine article.