(AP): After an Azerbaijani minister also said the airliner was hit by a weapon, citing expert analysis and survivor reports, a U.S. official said Friday that Russian air defense systems may have brought down an Azerbaijani Airlines this week.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby and Rashan Nabiyev’s conclusions on Friday mirrored those of outside aviation experts who attributed the crash to Russian air defense systems reacting to an attack by Ukraine. Officials in Russia claimed that a drone strike was taking place in the area where the Azerbaijan Airlines flight was preparing to land, and these remarks increased pressure on the country. Statements that blamed air defenses were not addressed.
Kirby declined to provide further details, citing an ongoing inquiry, but he did tell reporters on Friday that the United States has seen some early signs that would definitely lead to the potential that this jet was taken down by Russian air defense systems.
When asked if the United States had intelligence that contributed to that judgment or if it was only depending on knowledgeable conjecture from specialists based on visual evaluations of the accident, Kirby described the short response as “yes,” but he indicated he would stop there without going into additional detail.
The aircraft was traveling Wednesday from Baku, the city of Azerbaijan, to Grozny, the regional headquarters of the Russian republic of Chechnya, when it veered into Kazakhstan and crashed during the landing attempt. All 29 survivors were injured in the collision, which claimed 38 lives.
Nabiyev, the minister of digital development and transportation for Azerbaijan, told Azerbaijani media that both witness evidence and initial expert results suggest a foreign influence.
According to Nabiyev, the probe will identify the kind of weapon used in the impact.
As the plane circled above Grozny, survivors of the crash informed Azerbaijani media that they heard loud noises on board.
According to flight attendant Aydan Rahimli, the oxygen masks automatically released after a single noise. She claimed that as she proceeded to administer first aid to Zulfugar Asadov, a colleague, they heard a second explosion.
According to Asadov, the sounds resembled an external force striking the aircraft. His arm was lacerated like if someone had struck it with an ax, he claimed, and he suffered a sudden hurt shortly after that that resembled a deep cut. He refuted a Kazakh official’s allegation that an oxygen canister onboard the aircraft detonated.
In a hospital interview, Jerova Salihat, another victim, informed Azerbaijani television that an explosion occurred close to her leg.
As the plane was getting ready to land in Grozny in dense fog, Ukrainian drones were targeting the city, according to Dmitry Yadrov, head of Russia’s civil aviation regulator Rosaviatsia, who stated Friday that officials had closed the area to air traffic.
The captain was offered alternate airports after two failed landing attempts, but Yadrov said he chose to fly over the Caspian Sea to Aktau, Kazakhstan.
Some aviation experts noted that holes in the plane’s tail section showed that it might have been targeted by Russian air defense systems, but he chose not to comment.
Grozny and other regions in the Russian North Caucasus have been targeted by Ukrainian drones in the past.
Azerbaijan Airlines announced the suspension of flights to many Russian airports and attributed the crash to unidentified technical and physical intervention. It didn’t specify the source of the interference or offer any further information.
The reason of the crash will be determined by investigations, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, declining to comment on reports that the plane was struck by Russian air defenses.
In a conference call with reporters, Peskov stated, “We don’t believe we have the right to make any assessments until the conclusions are made as a result of the investigation.” The air incident is now being looked into.
It would be the second fatal civil aviation accident connected to hostilities in Ukraine if it were confirmed that the plane crashed after being struck by Russian air defenses. In 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 passed over the region of eastern Ukraine ruled by separatists backed by Moscow when it was shot down by a Russian surface-to-air missile, killing all 298 persons on board.
In 2022, a Dutch court found two Russians and a pro-Russia Ukrainian man guilty of downing the aircraft using an air defense system that was transported into Ukraine from a Russian military installation, despite Russia’s denial of complicity.
According to a statement from the office of the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General, Azerbaijani investigators are investigating Wednesday’s crash in Grozny.
Azerbaijan Airlines said Friday it would also stop service to eight further Russian locations after suspending flights from Baku to Grozy and Makhachkala on Wednesday.
Flights to six Russian cities, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, will still be offered by the airline. Additionally, Ukrainian drone strikes have previously targeted those cities on numerous occasions.
Additionally, Qazaq Air of Kazakhstan declared on Friday that it would halt flights from Astana to Yekaterinburg, a Russian city in the Ural Mountains, for a month.
For the next three days, FlyDubai also suspended flights to Mineralnye Vody in southern Russia and Sochi.
Due to changes in Russian airspace, Israel’s El Al airline canceled flights from Tel Aviv to Moscow the day before. Next week, the airline promised to reevaluate the situation.
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This article was written by Aida Sultanova in London and Will Weissert in Washington for the Associated Press.
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