Azerbaijani government sources said preliminary evidence indicated that a Russian surface-to-air missile caused the Azerbaijan Airlines crash near Aktau, Kazakhstan, according to a Euronews report. The claims emerged on December 26, 2024, the historical event date, one day after the aircraft went down while attempting an emergency landing. [Source 2434]
Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8432 had been flying near Grozny when it was struck during Russian air-defence activity against drones, the government sources told Euronews. They said the missile exploded beside the aircraft, sending fragments into the plane and injuring passengers and crew. The damaged jet subsequently crossed the Caspian Sea and crashed near Aktau. Thirty-eight passengers were killed, according to the report. [Source 2434]
The account represented preliminary information rather than a completed official investigation. Euronews attributed the central allegation to unnamed Azerbaijani government sources. It also cited a separate report by Baku-based outlet AnewZ, which, relying on Azerbaijani government sources, identified the weapon as having been fired from a Pantsir-S air-defence system. [Source 2434]
According to the sources quoted by Euronews, the aircraft’s pilots sought permission to make an emergency landing at airports in Russia after the plane was damaged. They alleged that the jet was not permitted to land there and was instead directed across the Caspian Sea toward Aktau. The same account said the aircraft’s GPS navigation systems experienced jamming while it was over the sea. [Source 2434]
The reported missile strike occurred amid drone activity over Grozny, the capital of Russia’s Chechen Republic. Euronews said Russian sources reported that air-defence forces were attempting to intercept Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles as the passenger aircraft passed through the area. Khamzat Kadyrov, head of the Chechen Republic’s Security Council, confirmed that Grozny had experienced a drone attack on the morning of the crash and said it caused no casualties or damage. [Source 2434]
The available report did not establish why the missile was fired, who authorized any decisions affecting the aircraft’s landing options, or the precise sequence that led the pilots to continue toward Kazakhstan. Those issues were expected to form part of the continuing investigation. [Source 2434]
The allegations concerning the weapon, GPS interference and access to Russian airports therefore remained claims based on preliminary findings and government sourcing as of the December 26 event date. A definitive determination of responsibility would require the results of the formal crash investigation and corroborating evidence about the aircraft’s damage, flight path and communications with air-traffic authorities.
