Russian anti-aircraft system may have struck Azerbaijani plane that crashed, US official says

Experts say Russia's air defence systems are likely to have caused the Azerbaijan plane crash, as ITV News' Graham Stothard reports

Russia has refused to comment on claims that its air defence systems shot down a passenger plane that crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day, killing 38 of the 67 people onboard.

The Azerbaijan Airlines flight was on its way from the Azerbaijani capital Baku, to the Russian city of Grozny in Chechnya, when it diverted and crash-landed near Aktau in Kazakhstan, veering hundreds of miles off its planned route.

Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said on Thursday the investigation into the cause of the crash was underway, adding that it would be “wrong” to speculate before the inquiry concluded, according to Russian state media RIA Novosti.

A US official told ITV News' US partner CNN on Thursday early indications suggest a Russian anti-aircraft system may have downed the Azerbaijan Airlines jet.

The signs point to a Russian system striking Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 before it crashed, the US official said on Thursday.

If the early indications are ultimately confirmed, it may be a case of mistaken identity, the US official said, where poorly trained Russian units have fired negligently against Ukraine’s use of drones.

Officials from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia, urged people not to speculate about the crash until investigations have concluded.

Azerbaijan held a day of mourning on Thursday for the dozens of victims of the disaster.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who had been travelling to St Petersburg, returned to Azerbaijan on hearing news of the crash, the president's press service said.

He had been due to attend an informal meeting of leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States, a bloc of former Soviet countries founded after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Speaking at a news conference, Aliyev said that it was too soon to speculate on the reasons behind the crash, but said that the weather had forced the plane to change from its planned course.

On Wednesday, Aliyev expressed his condolences to the families of the victims in a statement on social media, saying: "It is with deep sadness that I express my condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to those injured."

Flight J2-8243 crashed approximately three kilometres (1.8 miles) from Aktau.

The flight was carrying 62 passengers and five crew members at the time of the crash, according to Kazakhstan's Interior Ministry.

Of those onboard, 42 were Azerbaijani, 16 Russian, six Kazakhs and three Kyrgyzstan nationals, Kazakh officials said.

Mobile phone footage circulating online appeared to show the aircraft making a steep descent before smashing into the ground in a fireball.

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Other footage showed part of its fuselage ripped away from the wings and the rest of the aircraft, lying upside in the grass. The footage corresponded to the plane’s colours and its registration number.

Some of the videos posted on social media showed survivors dragging fellow passengers away from the wreckage of the plane.

What are authorities saying about the crash?

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it would be wrong to speculate about the cause of the plane crash before an investigation had been carried out, according to Russian state media RIA Novosti.

Maulen Ashimbayev, chairman of Kazakhstan’s senate, said Thursday that “the nature of these damages and the causes of the disaster are currently unknown.”

A commission has been set up to investigate the crash, involving representatives from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia, Ashimbayev said.

Kanat Bozumbayev, Kazakhstan’s deputy prime minister, said that “even the preliminary cause cannot be determined yet, as specialists are needed for that.”

“They will conduct the work, and then it will be clear,” Bozumbayev said Thursday.

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