Month after AZAL crash: Investigations progress and new revelations VIDEO

Exactly one month has passed since the devastating crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) Embraer-190 near Aktau on December 25, 2024.

The crash claimed the lives of 38 people, including aircraft commander Igor Kshnyakin, co-pilot Alexander Kalyaninov, and senior flight attendant Hokuma Alieva. In a posthumous tribute, all three were honoured with the title of National Hero of Azerbaijan.

In the immediate aftermath, on December 26, Caliber.Az reported citing its sources that, according to preliminary sources, the plane was downed by the Russian "Pantsir-S1" air defence system. While Russia initially sought to obscure the true cause of the tragedy with conflicting reports, further investigation has since brought clarity to the situation.

Yesterday, on January 24, Caliber.Az's new findings confirmed that both the individual who fired on the plane and the officer who issued the order have been identified. Additionally, the initial report of the plane being struck by the Russian Pantsir-S1 has been verified.

The investigation also revealed that before the plane was struck, it was affected by electronic warfare (EW), which compromised the aircraft’s navigation systems and significantly hindered the crew’s ability to control the plane.

Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev addressed the media on January 24, stating that the preliminary results of the investigation into the crash will be released next week.

We will continue to closely follow the investigation and provide our readers with the latest updates as new information becomes available.

By Tamilla Hasanova