An Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash on Christmas Day has sparked speculation that the plane was shot down by Russia after taking a detour of hundreds of kilometers in the wrong direction and making an emergency landing with holes in the fuselage.
Russian military bloggers have suggested that the plane, which crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau, could have been mistaken for a Ukrainian drone.
The incident, which killed at least 38 people and injured another 29, took place after a significant detour, which may have been caused by GPS interference.
The Embraer 190 plane made an emergency landing on Wednesday 3 km from the Aktau, an oil and gas hub on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea.
It flew from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to Grozny, the capital of Chechnya in the North Caucasus.
Emergency specialists work at the crash site of a passenger plane near Aktau – AZAMAT SARSENBAYEV/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Footage of the crash, which circulated online, showed the plane making a steep descent before hitting the ground in a fireball.
Other images showed part of the fuselage torn away from the wings and the rest of the plane lying upside down in the grass.
Russian military bloggers and some aviation analysts have suggested that holes in the craft's hull may have been caused by shrapnel from an anti-aircraft missile.
The plane's crew reported a mid-air collision before the plane began its emergency landing, which Russian aviation authorities initially suspected was caused by a flock of birds.
However, it was later revealed that one of the plane's oxygen tanks had exploded, prompting speculation that the collision was actually an encounter with Russian air defenses.
Vladimir Putin's forces militarized the area the plane flew over, taking a detour that was not planned by the airline.
One of the plane's oxygen tanks had exploded: Azamat Sarsenbayev
The plane attempted to land at a Russian airport in Grozny, which was attacked by Ukrainian drones at the time of landing.
Baza, a Telegram channel with links to Russian security services, said that “the holes resemble those left after a shelling or explosion with conspicuous elements.”
Rybar, an influential Telegram channel with 1.3 million subscribers, also confirmed Baza's description, saying the damage to the fuselage resembled “striking elements of an anti-aircraft missile.”
He continued: “The plane itself was heading towards Grozny – at that moment an attack of launched Ukrainian UAVs was actually repelled over the region. Several drones were shot down over Vladikavkaz in North Ossetia and neighboring Ingushetia.”
After the crash, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev said he was returning from Russia, where he would attend a summit on Wednesday, Russia's RIA news agency reported.
Putin expressed deep condolences for Aliyev after the crash, said Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman.
“Unfortunately, the President of Azerbaijan, Aliyev, was forced to leave St. Petersburg. Putin has already called him and expressed his condolences in connection with the crash of the Azerbaijani plane in Aktau,” Peskov said.
“We deeply sympathize with those who lost their family members and friends in this plane crash and wish a speedy recovery to all who managed to survive,” he added.
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