The Azerbaijani parliament supported the version that the Embraer 190 plane crashed as a result of a strike by a Russian air defense system
The Embraer 190 passenger airliner of Azerbaijan Airlines, which crashed on December 25 in the Kazakh city of Aktau, was hit by a missile fired by a Russian anti-aircraft missile system. This interpretation of the events was voiced by Euronews, citing unnamed sources in the government of Azerbaijan, and today it has been supported by many publications and bloggers. The fact that the plane was damaged by a Russian air defense system may be indicated by photo and video footage of holes in the skin of its surviving wreckage.
“Today, this version has become dominant, since it corresponds to the picture of what happened. The first version of the Russian authorities about the plane colliding with birds does not stand up to criticism,” writes The Bell.
Interlocutors of the Euronews TV channel said that the missile was fired at the airliner during the attack of Ukrainian drones on Grozny. The sources also said that the damaged plane was not allowed to land at any Russian airport, despite the pilots' requests. Instead, they were ordered to fly towards Aktau via the Caspian Sea.
The Azerbaijani news channel AnewZ, also citing its sources, reported that, according to the results of the preliminary investigation, a missile was fired at the airliner from the Pantsir-S air defense system. Such systems are available in the Russian Armed Forces.
In addition, the Caliber publication reports that Russia's use of electronic warfare systems knocked out the aircraft's communications system. For this reason, the Embraer disappeared from radars in Russian airspace and appeared on screens only in the Caspian Sea area.
The online publication "Agency. News" believes that the Russian authorities are trying to hide the fact of the attack of Ukrainian UAVs on Chechnya and North Ossetia on the day of the disaster as evidence of Russia's involvement in the incident.
"Agency. News also writes that the use of the Pantsir air defense system on Wednesday may be evidenced by the publication of the Chechen opposition channel NIYSO, which published a photo of a fallen shell. CIT experts interviewed by the Agency noted that this is the Pantsir booster block, which indicates the use of this system to repel drone attacks.
The Azerbaijani parliament demanded that Russia apologize for the airliner "shot down" over Grozny.
"The plane was shot down on Russian territory, in the skies over Grozny. It is impossible to deny this... Those who did this must be held criminally liable, compensation must be paid. If this does not happen, then, of course, relations will move to another level," Rasim Musabekov threatened in an interview with the Azerbaijani publication Turan.
The deputy is a member of the Committee on International Relations and Interparliamentary Relations of the Mejlis of Azerbaijan.
Musabekov also noted that someone in Russia is trying to "cover their tracks." According to the deputy, this is wrong.
More than a day after the first reports of a possible strike on Embraer by a Russian missile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has still not responded to them.
