The evidence seems quite convincing already, that an Azerbaijani passenger jet planning to land in Grozny was instead downed by Russian surface to air attacks.
Russian air defences mistook the Embraer for a Ukrainian drone, and engaged it with unidentified systems. Surviving passengers said that on the third attempt to land in Grozny, there were some explosions outside the aircraft and that the flight was then diverted across the Caspian to Aktau in Kazakhstan. Passenger video from inside the aircraft showed signs of shrapnel damage, and a woman passenger suffered a leg wound. As the aircraft crossed the Caspian, the crew began to encounter control problems – which may have been the result of hydraulic failure.
Videos of flight J2-8243 show a struggle to maintain altitude and trim, after making it all the way across the sea, as pilots lost control in a circling pattern just a mile or so short of the Aktau runway.
After violently crashing, up-close videos show obvious anti-aircraft-looking shrapnel damage to the wings and fuselage.
All passengers likely would have survived if the jet had been immediately cleared to land in Grozny, instead of tragically diverted so far away across the sea.
In related news, North Korean soldiers enlisted to fight for Russia have been shooting in the wrong direction and killing Russians.
While engaged in combat in Kursk Oblast, a group of North Korean soldiers opened fire on members of the Chechen Akhmat unit fighting for Russia, HUR reported via its official Telegram channel. The attack allegedly killed eight Russian soldiers.
An update from the Azerbaijani president President Ilham Aliyev very diplomatically suggests a criminal investigation of the plane crash have started:
According to the information provided to me, the AZAL airline plane, flying on the Baku-Grozny route, changed its course due to worsening weather conditions and began heading toward Aktau airport, where the crash occurred during landing. There are videos of the plane crash available in the media and on social networks, and everyone can watch them. However, the reasons for the crash are not yet known to us. There are various theories, but I believe it is premature to discuss them. The matter must be thoroughly investigated. A criminal case has been launched by the Prosecutor General’s Office…
