On December 25, Facebook accounts disseminated information (1;2;3;4;5) that Azerbaijani media claimed that Ukraine was responsible for the crash of an Azerbaijani Aircraft on the territory of Kazakhstan on December 25. According to the Facebook posts, a video taken shortly before the crash shows that the plane’s wing was damaged by a hit from a Ukrainian drone or its shrapnel.
The claim that the downing of the Azerbaijani Aircraft was caused by a Ukrainian drone strike is not substantiated. An investigation into the accident is underway, but official sources suggest that the plane was damaged by Russian air defense systems. Russian involvement was also accused by Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev.
On December 25, an Azerbaijan Airlines plane operating the Baku-Grozny flight crashed on Kazakhstan’s territory near the city of Aktau. Out of the 67 people on board, 38 lost their lives.
On December 29, President Ilham Aliyev blamed Russia for the downing of the plane. According to him, the downing was not intentional. Aliyev described as unfortunate and surprising the fact that Russia initially tried to cover up its involvement. Russia’s Federal Agency for Air Transport had initially claimed that the plane had likely collided with a flock of birds near Grozny, which caused its damage. Notably, despite the pilot’s request, Russia did not permit the plane to land at any Russian airports, forcing the crew to fly over the Caspian Sea and head towards Kazakhstan (Aktau).
“We can clearly say today that the plane was shot down by Russia. This is a fact. […] No one can deny the fact. We are not saying that this was done intentionally, but it was done,” said Aliyev. According to him, the aircraft was fired from the ground, which caused the damage.
It is also noteworthy that the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, spoke with Aliyev and apologized for the “tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace.” He stated that Russian air defense systems were active at the time of the incident. However, the Russian president does not admit Russia was at fault. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that the damage to the plane looks very much like a missile strike from an air defense system, and Russia must provide a clear explanation. White House spokesperson John Kirby has said that the U.S. has seen “early indications” that Russia may have been responsible for the plane’s crash.
Based on their sources, foreign media also reported on Russia’s involvement. For example, a source from the Azerbaijani government confirmed to Euronews that a Russian air missile caused the plane crash. According to the source, the missile was fired during drone activity over Grozny, and it exploded next to the plane, damaging it. Additionally, Reuters spoke to four sources who are familiar with the preliminary results of the Azerbaijani investigation. They also confirm the information about the plane being shot down by Russian air defense. One of the sources stated that the damage was caused by the “Pantsir-S” defense system. The same information has also been reported by Voice of America, based on expert sources.
Similar information is circulating in Azerbaijani media, including those controlled by the government. Russian military bloggers and experts also cite Russian defense systems as the likely cause of the plane’s damage.
It is unclear which specific Azerbaijani media outlets Facebook accounts are relying on in spreading information about Ukraine’s involvement in the incident. Myth Detector tried to trace these sources but could only find the reports in Azerbaijani media regarding Russia’s responsibility.”
About the source:
Among those who linked the incident to Ukraine is Davit Jebashvili, who regularly spreads anti-Western and anti-opposition content, including false information. Myth Detector has repeatedly fact-checked disinformation spread by Jebashvili in the past.
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