Russian anti-aircraft system may have struck Azerbaijan plane that crashed: US official

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: ABC News

December 26, 2024, 3:38 PM


There are early indications that a Russian anti-aircraft system may have struck the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Kazakhstan, killing dozens, a U.S. official told ABC News.

There is new evidence that the passenger plane may have been shot down by a Russian surface-to-air missile from a Pantsir-S1 system, a high-level Azeri government source told ABC News.

If Russia did indeed strike the Azerbaijan plane, the U.S. official said it would be yet another example of Russia’s recklessness in the war with Ukraine. The plane was flying over an area where Moscow’s air defense has battled Ukrainian drones recently. The White House referred ABC News to officials in the region as the investigation continues.

At least 38 people are dead and 29 others injured after the Azerbaijan Airlines passenger aircraft crashed near Kazakhstan's Aktau Airport on Wednesday morning, a spokesperson for Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations told ABC News.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/International/azerbaijan-plane-crash-kazakhstan-russian-anti-aircraft-system/story?id=117121250

[underpants]

1. Hold on. It wasn't a bird strike like the Russians said?

That was the official line. Not to an engine but to the body of the plane.

[Meadowoak]

2. It's time to take Putin out.

[nmmi]

3. Kazakhstan plane crash: Missile strike suspicion confirmed (the title of the below article)

Published About 206p ET (it just shows "5h", the time-math is mine -nmmi), essanews.com
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/kazakhstan-plane-crash-missile-strike-suspicion-confirmed/ar-AA1wwWm4

a few interesting fragments from the article

A preliminary investigation confirms that a Russian surface-to-air missile caused the plane crash on Wednesday in western Kazakhstan, Euronews reported on Thursday, citing sources in the Azerbaijani government ...

. The missile reportedly exploded near the aircraft, with fragments hitting the plane. Sources add that the crew of the damaged plane was not allowed—despite requests—to make an emergency landing at any Russian airport and was ordered to head toward Aktau.

Footage from inside the plane, shared on Telegram by survivors of the crash, shows that some passengers were bleeding even before the plane fell.

Material published by the opposition Russian TV station Nastojaszczeje Wriemia (banned in Russia) shows the rear of the plane riddled with holes, resembling traces from gunfire.

Emphasis added

Interesting given that the destination was Grozny, Chechnya (which is part of Russia).
The article also says:

Initially, it was suggested that the aircraft most likely collided with a flock of birds, causing a failure in the control system. It was reported that after the collision, the plane was redirected to avoid flying over a mountain range, heading towards Aktau on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea.

[FakeNoose]

4. Isn't this the same thing as saying "The Russians shot down the plane"?

Six of one, half-a-dozen of the other.
Seems like an act of war to me, even though it may not have been intentional.
If this was a mistake, it was a very, very stupid blunder!

[Aussie105]

5. Oops! My Bad!

Happened before -similar thing in 2014.

Wikipedia:
"Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) was a scheduled passenger flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur that was shot down by Russian-backed forces with a Buk 9M38 surface-to-air missile on 17 July 2014, while flying over eastern Ukraine. All 283 passengers and 15 crew were killed."

Missile locks on, explodes when proximity sensors say it is near a plane. Shrapnel does the job.

I'm thinking flying near a warzone isn't smart?

[Blue_Tires]

6. This is a completely different situation from MH17

Because this time there are survivors, with photos and videos of the whole tragedy as it happened...

Moscow can't deny, deflect, or distort the blame for this one away, nor will their usual tidal wave of disinfo and conspiracies on social media be of any use...

But sadly they do have the angry orange idiot and his apartheid errand boy in their corner, and that might be enough... 😐

[mitch96]

7. Another review of the shoot down from an ex military intel guy...Lots of technical stuff