Putin's aide: Russia committed to determining causes of Aktau plane crash

The Kremlin has emphasized its commitment to an impartial and thorough investigation into the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) Flight 8432 crash near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on December 25, 2024.

“We are interested in an absolutely objective and impartial investigation to determine the causes of this crash,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media, per Caliber.Az.

Peskov confirmed that Russian specialists are assisting in the investigation aimed at uncovering the circumstances of the tragedy. He added, “The Russian Federation is waiting for the results of the work of the relevant commission.”

"Russian President Vladimir Putin had spoken twice by phone with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev following the incident. Necessary instructions have been given to the investigative bodies, and all necessary assistance and cooperation are being provided in the investigation of the causes of this accident. President Putin apologized and expressed words of regret,” Peskov said.

The crash of Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8432 claimed the lives of 38 passengers out of the 67 people on board. The remaining 29 passengers and crew survived. The tragedy unfolded after a missile strike inflicted catastrophic mid-flight damage to the aircraft.

Azerbaijani government sources confirmed that a Russian surface-to-air missile, fired during drone activity above Grozny, Chechnya, struck the plane. Shrapnel from the missile explosion caused injuries among passengers and crew.

Despite the pilots' repeated requests for an emergency landing, Russian authorities denied access to nearby airports, instead directing the heavily damaged aircraft to Aktau. During the flight, the plane's GPS navigation systems were reportedly jammed.

The missile was reportedly fired from a Pantsir-S air defence system during Russian efforts to target Ukrainian drones over Chechnya.

On January 7, the Brazilian Air Force's Aviation Accident Investigation and Prevention Center (CENIPA) announced the completion of the decoding of the flight recorders (black boxes) from the crashed AZAL plane. “The extraction, collection, and verification of data from two flight recorders has been completed,” CENIPA sources confirmed. The decoded information has been sent to Kazakh authorities for further analysis.

By Tamilla Hasanova