Russia's Air Defense Called Down Azerbaijan Airlines: Communication Is Paralyzed, Hit By Pantsir S

JAKARTA - Russia's electronic and air defense warfare system is said to be behind dropping the fleet of planes belonging to Azerbaijan Airlines in Kazakhstan on Wednesday.

Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 aircraft with flight number J2-8243 and registration 4K-AZ65 carrying 62 passengers and five crew, are on their way from Baku, Azerbaijan to Grozny, Russia when it crashed last Wednesday near Aktau City, Kazakhstan.

The plane is said to have crashed after turning from southern Russia, where Moscow has repeatedly used its air defense system against Ukrainian drone attacks.

The plane turned hundreds of miles across the Kaspia Sea, before crashing on the coast across the Kaspia Sea after what Russian aviation watchdogs said was an emergency that may have been caused by a bird strike.

Officials did not explain why the plane crossed the sea. Russia's closest airport on the plane's flight path, Makhachkala, closed on Wednesday morning.

Footage recorded by passengers on the plane before falling showed an oxygen mask removed and people wearing life vests. Subsequent footage shows bleeding passengers and bruises getting out of the plane. There were 29 survivors.

One of Azerbaijan's sources familiar with Azerbaijan's investigation into the crash told Reuters preliminary results showed the plane was hit by Russia's Pantsir-S air defense system. Its communication was paralyzed by the electronic warfare system as it approached Grozny, the source said.

"No one claims that it was done on purpose. However, taking into account the facts, Baku hopes that the Russian side will recognize the shooting of the Azerbaijani plane crash," the source said.

Three other sources confirmed Azerbaijan's investigation had come to the same initial conclusion. The Russian Ministry of Defense did not respond to a request for comment.

A US official told Reuters on Thursday there were initial indications that Russia's anti-aircraft system may have hit the plane.

Meanwhile, Canada said it was deeply concerned by reports Russia's air defenses may have hit the plane.

"We ask Russia to allow an open and transparent investigation into the incident and accept its findings," the Canadian Foreign Ministry said in a statement to X.

Photos of the wreckage show what appears to be damage to the shrapnel in the tail of the plane.

Aviation security firm Osprey Flight Solutions said in a warning to airlines on Wednesday that footage of the ruins and circumstances surrounding the airspace of southwest Russia showed the possibility of the plane being hit by several anti-aircraft shots.

Ukrainian military drones have repeatedly targeted Russia's southern region in recent months, prompting Russian air defenses. Russia and Ukraine have been at war since Moscow's invasion of neighboring countries in February 2022.

Earlier on Wednesday, Russia's Ministry of Defense had reported the crash of 59 Ukrainian unmanned aircraft in several areas.

Several were reportedly shot down in a closed airspace over an area bordering Ukraine, including the Azov Sea. Flight operations were reportedly suspended temporarily at Russian Kazan Airport due to the activity.

In addition, publicly available ADS-B flight tracking data show Azerbaijan's aircraft experiencing GPS disruption during its flight over southwest Russia, the warning said.