Azerbaijani officials confirm Russian missile downed Azerbaijan Airlines plane; investigation ongoing into flight circumstances and air defense actions.

Azerbaijani government sources have confirmed that a Russian surface-to-air missile was responsible for the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane in Aktau on Wednesday.

The missile struck Flight 8432 during drone activity over Grozny, causing shrapnel to hit both passengers and cabin crew mid-flight.

Three nearby airports. Grozny is the yellow circle. pic.twitter.com/EE8zn2Ax1M

— Mike Doris (@MikeDoris) December 26, 2024

The missile was launched from a Pantsir-S air defence system, according to Baku-based outlet AnewZ.

Russian sources indicated that the incident occurred while the Azerbaijan Airlines flight was flying over Chechnya, where Russian air defence forces were engaged in attempts to shoot down Ukrainian drones.

An investigation into the crash is underway to clarify the circumstances of the missile launch, the lack of landing authorisation at a nearby Russian airport, and directives given for the plane to continue over the sea despite damage.