Russian aviation chief says Ukraine drone strike preceded crash of Azerbaijani plane

(AP) – Russia’s aviation chief said Friday that a Ukrainian drone strike was continuing in the Chechen region when an Azerbaijani plane attempted to land before heading for Kazakhstan and crashing there earlier this week.

Dmitry Yadrov, head of Russia’s civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia, did not comment on the statements by an Azerbaijani lawmaker and several aviation experts. was accused Wednesday’s Russian air defense fire accident.

Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer flight 190 was flying from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian Republic of Chechnya, but returned to Aktau, Kazakhstan, via the Caspian Sea and He fell while trying to get off There. 38 people died in the accident and 29 survivors were injured.

Authorities in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia have been tight-lipped about the possible cause of the crash pending an official investigation, but Azerbaijani parliament member Rasim Musabekov told Azerbaijani news agency Turan on Thursday that the plane was fired on while it was in the air. He called on Russia to offer an official apology regarding Grozny.

Asked about Musabekov’s statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment, saying it would be up to investigators to determine the cause of the crash.

“The air incident is being investigated and we do not believe that we have the right to make any assessments until a conclusion is reached as a result of the investigation,” Peskov said in a conference call with journalists.

Russian aviation chief Yadrov said that while the plane was preparing to land in Grozny under dense fog, Ukrainian drones targeted Grozny, causing authorities to close the area to air traffic.

Yadrov said that after the captain made two unsuccessful landing attempts in Grozny, he was offered other airports as alternatives, but decided to fly to Aktau via the Caspian Sea.

“The situation in the Grozny airport area was quite difficult,” the statement said. “There are many situations that need to be investigated jointly.”

In the statement made by the Azerbaijani Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, it was stated that Azerbaijani inspectors were working in Grozny within the scope of the accident investigation.

As the official crash investigation began, some aviation experts pointed out that holes seen in the plane’s tail section indicated that the plane may have come under fire from Russian air defense systems fending off a drone strike in Ukraine.

Ukrainian drones have previously attacked Grozny, the capital of Russia’s Chechen Republic, and other regions in the country’s North Caucasus.

FlightRadar24 said in an online post that the plane encountered “strong GPS jamming” that was interfering with flight tracking data. Russia has extensively used advanced jamming equipment to fend off drone attacks.

Following the suspension of flights from Baku to Grozy and Makhachkala on Wednesday, Azerbaijan Airlines announced on Friday that it would also stop service to more Russian cities and cut air connections with Mineralnye Vody, Sochi, Volgograd, Ufa, Samara.

It was stated that the flights will be suspended following the preliminary results of the investigation into the crash of Embraer 190 aircraft with flight number J2-8243 from Baku to Grozny due to physical and technical intervention and taking into account the potential risks to the flight. safety.”

The company operates in Moscow, St. It will continue to operate flights to six more Russian cities, including St. Petersburg and Kazan. These cities have been the target of Ukrainian drone attacks many times in the past.

Kazakhstan’s Qazaq Air company also announced on Friday that it has suspended flights from Astana to Yekaterinburg in Russia’s Ural Mountains for a month.

The other day, Israeli El Al suspended flights from Tel Aviv to Moscow, citing “developments in Russia’s airspace”. The airline said it would reassess the situation next week to decide whether to resume flights.

Associated Press writer Aida Sultanova contributed to this report from London.