Kazakhstan plane crash: Expert explains how Russians may have downed aircraft

“Well, it definitely wasn’t birds. I noticed two different sizes (of impact holes – ed.). Most likely, these are missiles from the Pantsir system. However, the Pantsir is a missile and artillery system, capable of striking with both. It seems to me that it struck with both types of weapons in this case,” the expert stated.

He recalled that just days before the plane crash, the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, requested the Pantsir air defense system from Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to Kryvolap, these systems were stationed near the airfield in Grozny, from where the plane was downed.

The expert noted that the Pantsir system also has an automatic target engagement mode. While the operator can adjust it, this requires practice to ensure smooth coordination.

“There is also an automatic mode designed for situations where multiple targets are approaching from different directions. The operator can intervene to prioritize the most significant target. Essentially, yes, (the system decides what to engage on its own – ed.), but the operator can override it. However, proper training is needed to establish effective coordination between the machine and the operator. In this case, there wasn’t enough time for such training. Whatever was pressed, was pressed; whatever was hit, was hit,” Kryvolap explained.

Airplane crash in Kazakhstan

On December 25, an Embraer 190 passenger plane of AZAL Airlines crashed in Kazakhstan. There were 67 people on board. According to the latest information, 38 people died in the crash.

The Azerbaijani airplane was flying from Baku to Grozny. It is reported that in Grozny, where drones had been shot down before, the plane was shot down, so it was unable to land. As a result, the Embraer 190 crashed near the city of Aktau.

Initially, it was claimed that the plane crashed because of a collision with a flock of birds. However, the remains of the plane were shown online, with traces of anti-aircraft missile debris on the body.

According to Euronews, Azerbaijan has confirmed that the plane crash was caused by a Russian missile.