Aircraft crash in Kazakhstan: Who is responsible?

On December 27, 2024, a tragic incident occurred when an Azerbaijani passenger aircraft of the Azerbaijan Airlines crashed in Kazakhstan. In the accident that occurred near the Kazakh city of Aktau on the coast of the Caspian Sea, 38 people died, while 29 other people survived, but many of them were seriously injured.

Ukraine blames Russia for the crash. Andrij Jermak, the head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, commented on Telegram and referred to possible causes of the crash. According to media reports, the machine could have been hit by a Russian anti -aircraft missile. As a result of the tense situation, Russian airports temporarily stopped operating because air defense measures were taken in connection with Ukrainian drone attacks.

Details of the crash

The plane was on the way from Baku to Grosny when it crashed close to the landing test. Many reports emphasize that this morning the Russian air defense was on alert due to drone attacks from Ukraine. The Azerbaijani aviation company has now decided to establish the connections to seven Russian cities, including Sochi and Volgograd. However, flights to the larger cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg remain.

First, the plane was flying to Mineralnye Wody, but returned to Baku. For security reasons, the Russian aviation authority has temporarily declared no starting and landings permitted at some airports in southern Russia. Investigations into the exact cause of the crash are underway, but so far there are no official results. Azerbaijanical state media already report on a delegation from the Attorney General, who has made its way to Grosny to examine the incident.

Images of the wreck show holes that resemble the impacts of aircraft missiles. The United States also does not rule out a failure of Russian air defense as the cause of the crash. Military bloggers and Ukrainian representatives emphasize the possible damage caused by Russian air defense, while the Kremlin warns of hasty speculation and has not yet commented on the incident.