Azerbaijani authorities have said they have evidence to prove that the AZAL Embraer E190 passenger plane that crashed on December 25, 2024, near the Kazakh city of Aktau, was shot down by a Pantsir-S anti-aircraft missile system. This was reported by Reuters on February 4, 2025, citing sources in the Azerbaijani government.
A high-ranking Azerbaijani official said a missile fragment was recovered from the plane's wreckage and identified by an international expert. According to him, experts have determined that the element found is part of a munition fired from the Russian Pantsir-S system.
At the same time, the Russian side denies these claims. As RT reports, citing a source in Russian aviation circles who is involved in the investigation of the AZAL crash, Moscow has still not received samples of the foreign elements found for their independent examination. In this regard, according to the source, the claims about the involvement of the Russian air defense system require additional study.
The Embraer E190 was flying from Baku to Grozny, but after the crew reported technical problems, the plane was forced to change route and head to Kazakhstan. However, a few minutes after leaving Russian airspace, contact with the plane was lost. Later, the wreckage of the plane was found in the Aktau area.
There were 62 passengers and 5 crew members on board. As a result of the disaster, 38 people died and another 29 were injured. Among the victims were citizens of Azerbaijan, Russia and Kazakhstan.
Russian officials have yet to comment on Azerbaijan's claims. However, sources in Russian aviation circles stress that if Moscow did not receive samples of the alleged submunitions, it is too early to draw any final conclusions.