Azerbaijani government sources have exclusively confirmed to Euronews on Thursday that a Russian surface-to-air missile caused the #Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in #Aktau on Wednesday.
According to the sources, the missile was fired at Flight 8432 during drone air activity above #Grozny, and the shrapnel hit the passengers and cabin crew as it exploded next to the aircraft mid-flight.
Government sources have told Euronews that the damaged aircraft was not allowed to land at any #Russian airports despite the pilots’ requests for an emergency landing, and it was ordered to fly across the #Caspian Sea towards Aktau in #Kazakhstan.
According to data, the plane’s #GPS navigation systems were jammed throughout the flight path above the sea.