Azerbaijan Airlines plane reportedly downed by Russian Pantsir-S – Reuters

A passenger plane operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, which crashed in Kazakhstan on December 25, was reportedly downed by a Russian Pantsir-S air defense system, Reuters reported, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter.

Four sources in Azerbaijan, privy to preliminary findings of the crash investigation, stated that the plane was indeed hit by Russian air defenses.

One source said that initial results indicate the aircraft was struck by the Russian Pantsir-S missile and gun system, and its communications were disrupted by electronic warfare systems as it approached the city of Grozny in Russia's republic of Chechnya.

"No one claims that it was done on purpose. However, taking into account the established facts, Baku expects the Russian side to confess to the shooting down of the Azerbaijani aircraft," the source said.

Three other sources confirmed that Azerbaijan's investigation reached the same preliminary conclusion.

Kazakhstan's transport prosecutors in the region where the crash occurred announced that their investigation has not yet drawn any conclusions. Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Qanat Bozymbaev stated he could neither confirm nor deny claims that Russian air defenses shot down the plane.