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The head of Russia’s civil aviation agency stated on Friday that Ukrainian drones were targeting Grozny while an Azerbaijani Airlines plane was attempting to land there, before the plane later crashed in Kazakhstan. Dmitry Yadrov shared on Telegram that heavy fog had blanketed Grozny when the incident took place on Wednesday, creating “very complicated” conditions around the airport at the time.Yadrov noted that Ukrainian military drones were carrying out attacks on civilian infrastructure during the event, and the plane had attempted to land twice unsuccessfully. The pilot was then offered the option to land at alternative airports, ultimately choosing to divert to Aktau Airport in Kazakhstan.Additionally, Yadrov mentioned that Grozny Airport had halted both arrivals and departures due to the drone attacks, though he did not specify when this occurred. The Azerbaijan Airlines plane eventually crashed in western Kazakhstan, resulting in the deaths of 38 out of the 67 people on board.
Several media outlets have cited Azerbaijani officials suggesting that a Russian air defense missile might have caused the crash. The Kremlin has refrained from commenting on the situation, awaiting the conclusion of the official investigation.
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