Three days after Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 went down in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day, fingers are pointing at Russia for the disaster that claimed 38 lives and left many others wounded.
The plane carrying 67 passengers and crew members was flying from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to Grozny in the Russian region of Chechnya, crashed and landed approximately 3 kilometres (1.8 miles) from Aktau on Wednesday.
Fresh facts and the United States White House indicate that the plane was shut down by the Russian military, which feared that it was a Ukrainian drone.
The U.S. National Security spokesperson, John F. Kirby, said there were “some early indications that would certainly point to the possibility that Russian air defence systems brought down the jet.”
Kirby said Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are conducting a joint investigation, adding that the US had offered its assistance in the ongoing investigation.
A member of the Azerbaijan National Assembly, Rasim Musabayov backed the US claim, saying on Friday that all evidence supports the claim that the plane was hit by a Russian missile.
It would be recalled that the Embraer 190 airliner was travelling from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny in the Russian region Chechyan when it crashed on the shore of the Caspian Sea.
The fuselage of the civilian aircraft was wiped off, while marks on other external parts suggested hits by heavy weapons, suspected to be missiles.
The Kazakhstan transport ministry had revealed that there were 62 passengers and 5 crew members on board, including 37 citizens of Azerbaijan, six from Kazakhstan, three from Kyrgyzstan, and 16 from Russia.
Thirty-eight, including passengers and crew members, of the 67 persons, on board have been confirmed dead, while some of the survivors are still battling life-threatening wounds.
While the Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan joint investigation points to the Russian air defence system, Russian authorities are disputing the claim and hinting at a possible attack by Ukraine’s drone.
A statement by Russia on Friday claimed that Ukrainian drone attacks might have played a role in downing Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243.
However, Musabayov faulted the Russian claim, querying why Vladimir Putin’s men prevented the ill-fated plane from landing. He demanded an apology from Russia and an explanation of why the plane was shot down.
