Investigations into the origins of the crash ensue, was it a military operation? Credit: Aviation BRK, Twitter.
The Azerbaijan Airlines tragedy, which has claimed 38 lives so far of a possible 67 on board, has spawned a new saga – with many sources claiming Russia is (inadvertently) at fault.
Originally setting off from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, the plane ran into some serious issues when approaching its destination, Grozny, a southern town in the region of Chechnya, Russia. Three desperate attempts to land amidst terrorising fog had meant the pilot was forced to make an emergency landing – some 280 miles from Grozny, across the Caspian Sea.
It is crucial to ponder exactly why the aeroplane could not have aborted at the closest airport to Grozny, Makhachkala. Sources informed the airport was closed on the morning of the crash, which only adds fuel to the fire. Instead, whilst approaching Aktau Airport, Kazakhstan, to make an emergency landing, flames had already engulfed the jet, with shrapnel causing chaos, making for a catastrophic scene.
Many sources claim plane crash resulted from unintentional targeting by Russia anti-aircraft system
A survivor from the crash informed Russian media sources that on the plane’s third attempt at landing, “Something exploded.. Some of the aircraft skin had blown out”. Justin Crump, a risk aversion specialist, told BBC Radio 4 that the crash saw internal and external damage, with immense impact on both sides of the plane. With shrapnel spewing across the aircraft, it is difficult to imagine that this was simply a bird’s doing.
In fact, many sources, including governmentally-backed outlets Caliber and AnewZ, of Azerbaijan, published their notions that the plane was targeted – albeit unintentionally – by Russia’s Pantsir-S anti-aircraft system. Ukraine has been setting up drones across the southern region of Russia for some time, with nearly 60 of the targeting drones from Ukraine military forces already successfully shot down by Russian defences, so volatility is a constant threat in this area as the war ceases to simmer.
Russia to allow for an open and transparent investigation into plane crash
Public flight tracking data from ADS-B shows the flight from Baku suddenly became corrupted with GPS issues whilst flying over Russia. A recently fully serviced plane, in immaculate condition, with no technical issues to report according to Azerbaijan Airlines, would not suddenly experience faults like these. Russia exploits professional equipment designed to jam enemy communications, as part of their military arsenal. Are innocent civilians being caught in a crossfire?
As Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, shares his expressions of grief with the world, stating “this is a great tragedy that has become a tremendous sorrow for the Azerbaijani people”, tension across Europe builds. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskow said they will not hypothesise before the investigation is complete, allowing the public to form their own informed assumptions.
As the Canadian Foreign Ministry insists that Russia “allow for an open and transparent investigation into the incident, and to accept its findings”, fear and frustration come to a boil on what has been a war that has dragged on for too long. Unless Russia, and president Vladimir Putin, openly admit to any wrongdoing and fault, this crash will remain a mystery.
