Russia may be responsible for downed Azerbaijani plane, says US

Russia may be responsible for downed Azerbaijani plane, says US

By Navitalai Naivalurua
28/12/2024
Photo:BBC

Azerbaijan's Transport Minister Rashad Nabiyev says the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed on 25th December was subjected to "external interference" and damaged inside and out as it tried to land in Russia's southern republic of Chechnya.

Nabiyev says all the survivors, without exception, stated they heard three blast sounds when the aircraft was above Grozny.

The plane is thought to have come under fire from Russian air defence systems before being diverted across the Caspian Sea to Kazakhstan, where it crashed with the loss of 38 lives.

The Kremlin has refused to comment, but the head of Russia's civil aviation agency said the situation in Grozny was "very complicated" at the time, and a closed-skies protocol had been put in place.

In a video statement posted on Russia's Tass news agency, Head of Rosaviatsia, Dmitry Yadrov, says Ukrainian combat drones were launching terrorist attacks on civilian infrastructure in the cities of Grozny and Vladikavkaz.

He says because of this a 'Carpet plan' was introduced in the area of Grozny airport, providing for the immediate departure of all aircraft from the specified area.

He adds there was dense fog in the area of Grozny airport.

Later yesterday, White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that the US had seen "early indications" that the plane may have been downed by Russian air defence, but declined to comment further.

The Washington Post reported Kirby had said the indications the US had seen went beyond the widely-circulated photos of the damaged plane.

Ukrainian presidential spokesman Andriy Yermak has said Russia must be held responsible.

Azerbaijan Airlines said on Friday that a preliminary inquiry had blamed both "physical and technical external interference", without going into details.

However, aviation experts and others in Azerbaijan believe the plane's GPS systems were affected by electronic jamming, and it was then damaged by shrapnel from Russian air-defence missile blasts.

Source: BBC

FEATURE NEWS
State trying to make out of court settlement deal with Malimali, about $2 million on the table for discussions
There are clear indications today after the application for leave for a judicial review by former FICAC Commissioner, Barbara Malimali that the State ...
2 hours ago
LATEST NEWS
Agriculture Ministry to focus on increasing kava, turmeric and dalo exports
The Ministry of Agriculture is working to boost export earnings by increasing production of key commodities such as kava, turmeric, taro, ginger, ...
3 minutes ago

This is a lollipop budget - Bala
This is not a people's budget, this is a lollipop budget—a sweetener served just in time for election year. This has been shared by Oppostion ...
25 minutes ago

Bia cheekily tells Seruiratu to provide alternative budget
While supporting the 2025/2026 National Budget Assistant Minister for Information, Aliki Bia responded to Leader of the Opposition Inia Seruiratu by ...
40 minutes ago

Bridging the divide: building Pacific agency in the AI era
Artificial intelligence (AI) promises to be a powerful catalyst of social and economic development for Pacific Island countries. It has the potential ...
2 hours ago

Seruiratu says 40,000 Fijians left between 2022-2023, worsening skills shortage
Over 40,000 people leaving our shores between 2022 and 2023 has placed immense pressure on Fiji’s workforce. While opposing the 2025/2026 ...
2 hours ago



fijivillage Straight Talk with Vijay Narayan
Latest Videos

Stay tuned for the latest news on our radio stations

CFL radio frequencies
IN DEPTH
Professor Prasad on fijivillage Straight Talk With Vijay Narayan
The show will focus on the 2025/2026 National Budget.
5 days ago

Tui Nayau and Tui Lau Installation
The ceremony for the installation of the Tui Nayau Sau ni Vanua o Lau will be held tomorrow, while the installation ceremony of the Tui Lau will be held in Tubou on Thursday.
7 days ago

CFL 40th Birthday
CFL’s 40th Anniversary celebrations to culminate with free concert at Albert Park on ...
10 days ago

TOP