According to the airline, the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed after “physical and technical interference from outside.”

CNN
—

Azerbaijan Airlines says the plane that crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day was subjected to “external physical and technical interference”, according to an initial investigation, as questions emerged about Russia’s possible involvement in the disaster.

At least 38 of the 67 people on board the plane died in the crash, Kazakh authorities confirmed, including two pilots and a flight attendant. According to preliminary information from the Kazakh Ministry of Transport, there were also people from Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan on board.

A US official told CNN on Thursday that early indications suggest a Russian anti-aircraft system may have shot down the passenger plane. Reuters also reported that the plane was shot down by a Russian air defense system, citing several unnamed sources in Azerbaijan with knowledge of the investigation.

Russia said Friday that the passenger plane was diverted from its original destination in Grozny, Chechnya, because of Ukrainian drones in the area and fog.

While Flight J2-8243 attempted to land in the southern Russian republic, “Ukrainian combat drones carried out terrorist attacks on civilian infrastructure in the cities of Grozny and Vladikavkaz,” said Dmitry Yadrov, head of Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency.

For this reason, Yadrov said, the airspace over the area was closed, meaning that nearby aircraft had to leave the airspace immediately.

The plane’s pilot tried to land in Grozny twice, Jadrow said, but was unsuccessful. He was offered other airports for landing, the official continued, but the pilot “decided to continue to Aktau airport” on the other side of the Caspian Sea in Kazakhstan. There was also thick fog in the Grozny airport area, he said.

In a statement Friday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Russian media had “lied about the cause of the crash,” adding that Moscow “forced the damaged jet to cross the sea, most likely to hide evidence of their crime.” .” ”

“Photos and videos from the cabin and after the crash are compelling evidence,” Sybiha said, calling for a “fair and impartial investigation to ensure those responsible are held accountable.”

Andriy Kovalenko, the head of the Ukrainian Center for Combating Disinformation, part of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, had previously claimed that the plane was “shot down by a Russian air defense system.”

Videos and images of the plane after the crash show perforations in its fuselage that resemble damage from shrapnel or debris. The cause of these holes is not confirmed.

Kovalenko speculated that authorities would try to cover up the real reason for the crash, including the holes in the plane, because it would be “inconvenient” to blame Russia.

On Thursday, Justin Crump, an intelligence, security and defense expert and CEO of risk consultancy Sibylline, told BBC Radio 4 that the Russian-fired plane is “the best theory that reflects all the available facts that we know of.” Crump added that Russian air defenses were active in Grozny at the time the aircraft was damaged.

“I don’t think that’s intentional at all,” he noted, noting that Russia is “very concerned” about active Ukrainian drones with longer ranges that “very often don’t get shot down.”

Russian state media had previously reported that the plane was diverted due to heavy fog in Grozny. The Federal Aviation Office had also previously stated that the plane crashed after colliding with birds.

While the investigation continues, Azerbaijan Airlines has suspended flights from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to seven cities in Russia for safety reasons, it said.

The airline also announced it would pay 20,000 manats (around $11,800) as compensation to the injured victims of the crash and 40,000 manats (around $23,500) to the families of those who died in the disaster, Azerbaijan’s state news agency AZERTAC reported .