Expert: Alleged transcripts of fatal AZAL flight attempt of "informational pressure" on Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan

An act of informational pressure is being commited against Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan by publishing transcripts of alleged conversations between ground services at Russian airports and the pilots of the fatal Azerbaijan Airlines 8243 flight which crashed under murky circumstances near the Kazakh city of Aktau on December 25. 

Kazakh political analyst Dimash Alzhanov is convinced of this, telling the Azerbaijani Report publication in an interview that the transcripts have yet to be officially verified.

According to Alzhanov, they appear to be an attempt to influence Kazakhstan, which is continuing to conduct an investigation into the plane catastrophe on it's territory, as well as Azerbaijan, the country whose aircraft and citizens were involved in the crash.

“The appearance of such transcripts can only be seen as an attempt to exert informational pressure on Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan,” he said, adding that these records were disseminated through Telegram channels that are suspected of being linked to certain circles within the Russian political establishment.

Touching upon the potential pressure put on the corresponding governments, Alzhanov noted that its stance remains unclear as no official comments have been made from Kazakhstan nor Azerbaijan following the online publication of these recordings. He believes it crucial to await the official investigation report, which is expected to be published at the end of January.

Alzhanov stressed that Kazakhstan is likely to strive to maintain good relations with both Azerbaijan and Russia, regardless of the situation's outcome.

As Caliber.Az recalls, the Azerbaijan Airlines flight 8243, an Embraer 190AR plane, tragically crashed near the coastal city of Aktau in Kazakhstan while attempting an emergency landing. The flight was originally en route from Baku to the South Russian city of Grozny and carried 67 individuals, including 62 passengers and five crew members.

The investigation into the crash also revolves around the question of why the AZAL pilots were denied the possibility of landing in Russia and were therefore forced to cross the Caspian Sea all the way to Kazakhstan. The crash tragically claimed 38 lives, including both pilots while 29 people miraculously survived thanks to the efforts of the crew. including three crew members, were rescued. 

Although initial reports tried to persuade the public that the cause of the crash was linked to a flock of birds, preliminary investigations suggest that the aircraft was struck by a Russian surface-to-air missile during efforts to repel a Ukrainian drone attack over Chechnya. The holes and markings on the outside of the plane are indicative of this narrative, with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev demanding the responsible party to come forward and take the blame for the catastrophe.

The official investigation report is still pending with the retrieved black boxes having been sent to Embraer headquarters in Brazil for decoding under the supervision of Azerbaijani experts. 

By Nazrin Sadigova