Azerbaijani Transport Minister Rashad Nabiyev said on Dec. 27 that an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Kazakhstan was due to 'external interference,' with authorities investigating "the type of weapon used in the interference."
"This is evidenced by the appearance of the aircraft debris on the ground and eyewitness accounts," Nabiyev said during a news conference, Azerbaijani media outlet Report reported.
The plane, en route from Baku on Dec. 25, carried 67 passengers, including 42 Azerbaijani citizens, 16 Russians, six Kazakhs, and three Kyrgyz citizens. Thirty-eight people have been confirmed dead.
Initial reports suggest it could have been downed by a Russian surface-to-air missile.
Footage of the plane shows traces of a large surface-to-air missile impact on the tail section of the plane, according to Russian independent media outlet Meduza. Similar-looking holes in the fuselage have reportedly been documented in numerous images and videos of military and civilian aircraft downed by surface-to-air missiles.
Two passengers who survived the crash also heard a loud bang as the plane approached its original destination of Grozny, Reuters reported on Dec. 27.
Kazakhstan’s Transport Minister Marat Karabayev said on Dec. 26 that the plane had deviated from its course ahead of landing in Grozny. Online flight tracking website Flightradar24 said on social media that the plane was "exposed to GPS jamming and spoofing near Grozny."
"The issue of turning off the GPS on board the plane also needs to be clarified," Nabiyev said.
The comments by Nabiyev appear to be the first public acknowledgements made by Azerbaijani officials that a weapon was involved in the crash. Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) initially claimed that the plane collided with a flock of birds, prompting the pilot to attempt an emergency landing.
Nabiyev's conclusions align with those of Azerbaijan Airlines who said on Dec. 27 that "physical and technical external interference" led to the crash.
The airline added that it was suspending flights to eight different locations within Russia.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
