Four sources with “knowledge of the preliminary findings” of Azerbaijan’s investigation told Reuters that Russia was clearly to blame. “No one claims that it was done on purpose,” said one source. “However, taking into account the established facts, Baku expects the Russian side to confess to the shooting down of the Azerbaijani aircraft.”
Sign up
What did the commentators say?
There’s “almost no question or doubt” that the plane was hit by shrapnel, said Bulgarian investigative journalist and author Christo Grozev. A “logical hypothesis” is that an anti-aircraft missile exploded near the airplane, he told BBC Radio 4.
Aviation officials in Grozny, and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, claimed the jet had been redirected because of fog. Russia and Kazakhstan also “attempted to shrug off the allegations” of missile damage, said The Times, although officials did not explain why the plane didn’t make an emergency landing in Russia.
Video footage of parts of the downed fuselage “showed puncture holes consistent with the shower of shrapnel produced by a missile strike”, said The Times. The damage was “similar” to that inflicted when a Russian anti-aircraft system shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014, killing all 298 passengers.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
US sources have also claimed that a Russian anti-aircraft system struck the jet, in what may have been “a case of mistaken identity”, said CNN. An official reportedly claimed that “poorly trained Russian units” may have “fired negligently” against Ukrainian drones. Earlier on Wednesday, Russia’s Defence Ministry had reported downing 59 Ukrainian drones over several regions.
What next?
Officials from Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have joined Russia in warning against speculation before investigations have concluded. A commission with representatives from all three nations has been set up to investigate the crash – although Russian and Azerbaijani law enforcement agencies “will not be allowed to conduct a forensic investigation”, said CNN. Authorities have recovered a second black box that they hope “will shed light on the cause” of the disaster.
Sources told Euronews that a missile was fired at the Azerbaijan Airlines jet during “drone air activity above Grozny”, as Russian forces attempted to shoot down Ukrainian aircrafts, and “exploded next to the aircraft mid-flight”.
Sign up for The Week’s Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.