Latest news with #Flight8243
Novaya Gazeta Europe
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Novaya Gazeta Europe
Leaked note shows Russian military captain admit to ordering missile strike on Azerbaijan Airlines flight — Novaya Gazeta Europe
A leaked note allegedly written by a Russian military captain, in which he takes responsibility for transmitting the final order to shoot down a passenger jet that crashed in Kazakhstan last December, has been made public after Minval, an Azerbaijani media outlet, published the letter on Tuesday. On 25 December, Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243, carrying 67 people on board, was on a scheduled flight from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to Grozny in the North Caucasus when a Russian surface-to-air missile reportedly struck it. It was denied permission to land in Russia and diverted to Kazakhstan, where the flight later crashed, killing 38 people on board, including both pilots and a flight attendant. In the note, which Minval obtained from an anonymous source, Russian captain Dmitry Paladichuk states that on the morning of 25 December, he spotted a 'potential target' that was difficult to discern due to 'very thick fog' amid a Ukrainian drone attack on Grozny. He says he alerted his superior officers and transmitted the object's coordinates and speed, before receiving the command to destroy the target. He says he then ordered an operator to fire two air defence missiles, shrapnel from the second of which reportedly struck the aircraft. According to The Insider, a Russian investigative outlet that obtained a recording of a telephone conversation in which Paladichuk appears to confirm writing an explanatory note, the letter is most likely genuine. In the recording, Paladichuk asserts that he wrote the note to an 'army commander' after 'shooting at the plane' because 'they demanded it' and confirms distinctive features of his handwriting. The Insider also states that Paladichuk's voice in the recording matches audio evidence originally published alongside the letter by Minval, which further supports the authenticity of the document. On 28 December, three days after the crash, Vladimir Putin apologised for what he called a 'tragic incident' after an aircraft experienced 'external interference' over Russian airspace. However, he did not confirm that the flight had been shot down or admit responsibility. One day later, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev accused Russia of accidentally shooting down Flight 823 and demanded a full admission of guilt. In February, a preliminary Azerbaijani investigation found that 'foreign metal objects' had damaged the plane before it crashed. According to a senior Azerbaijani government official cited in reporting by Reuters, the 'object' in question referred to a Russian air defence missile. The publishing of Paladichuk's letter comes amid a rapid deterioration in Russian-Azerbaijani relations following the deaths of two Azerbaijani citizens during a police raid in the Russian Urals city of Yekaterinburg on Saturday under unclear circumstances.
Saudi Gazette
a day ago
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
New evidence suggests Russian forces shot down Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243
BAKU — Russian military forces were involved in the missile strike on Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 which crashed on 25 December 2024, a new audio recording and a letter published by an Azerbaijani news website on Tuesday purport to prove. Azerbaijani news outlet Minval claims it received an 'anonymous letter ... containing testimonies, audio clips, and technical details' pointing to 'technical deficiencies in the communications equipment used at the time. Minval claims the letter includes a written statement 'allegedly signed by Captain Dmitry Sergeyevich Paladichuk, a Russian air defence officer (who) was acting under direct orders from Russia's Ministry of Defence when he authorised the missile strike.' Euronews cannot independently verify the authenticity of the claims in the Azerbaijani news outlet's report. Minval's news report on Tuesday quoted the letter claiming that 'Captain Paladichuk was stationed near Grozny on duty from 24 to 25 December. At 05:40 on the day of the incident, his unit was ordered to enter full combat readiness." "Due to poor mobile reception and a lack of functional wired communication, coordination relied heavily on unstable mobile connections," the letter added. "A potential target was detected at 08:11 and tracked using radar. Two missiles were reportedly fired at the object after Paladichuk was instructed via phone to destroy it — despite heavy fog obscuring optical confirmation.' According to the letter, 'the coordinates, speeds, and directions of the target at the time of both missile launches were provided in detail in the written explanation. The first missile is said to have missed, while the second one allegedly detonated close enough for shrapnel to strike the aircraft.' Minval also claimed that it reviewed "three voice messages" believed to support the claims made in the letter. The voices reportedly confirm that operational orders were given, two missiles were fired, and shrapnel from the explosion struck the aircraft, according to the outlet. The outlet has released one audio recording purporting to depict the sequence in which a voice in Russian gives military directions, orders a missile to be fired, followed by the sound of what appears to be a firing sequence, the same voice saying 'target missed', and allegedly ordering another missile to be fired. On the day of the tragedy, Azerbaijani government sources told Euronews that a Russian surface-to-air missile was fired at Flight 8243 during drone air activity above Grozny, the flight's destination. The same sources said that the shrapnel hit the passengers and cabin crew as the missile exploded next to the aircraft mid-flight, disabling it. The damaged aircraft was not allowed to land at any Russian airports despite the pilots' requests for an emergency landing, the same sources said, and it was ordered to fly across the Caspian Sea towards Aktau in Kazakhstan, where it crashed while attempting an emergency landing, killing 38 and injuring 29. Subsequent reports after the tragedy claimed that Flight 8243 was downed by a missile from a Russian Pantsir-S1 system. Three days after the crash, in an address to the nation, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said, "we can say with complete clarity that the plane was shot down by Russia (...) We are not saying that it was done intentionally, but it was done.' At that time, on 29 December, Aliyev stated that Baku had made three demands to Russia in connection with the crash. 'First, the Russian side must apologise to Azerbaijan. Second, it must admit its guilt. Third, punish the guilty, bring them to criminal responsibility and pay compensation to the Azerbaijani state, the injured passengers and crew members,' Aliyev outlined. Aliyev noted that the first demand was 'already fulfilled' when Russian President Vladimir Putin apologised to him on 28 December. Putin called the crash a 'tragic incident," though he stopped short of acknowledging Moscow's responsibility. The Kremlin said at the time that air defence systems were firing near Grozny, where the plane attempted to land, to deflect Ukrainian drone strikes. In the days following the tragedy, Russian military bloggers claimed that the said explosion happened over the Naursky District of Chechnya, where several Russian military units were posted at the time, including those with air defence systems, basing their conclusions on open-source data. The new claims linking the Russian military to the Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 tragedy appear at a time of a fast-moving escalation of judicial measures between Russia and Azerbaijan, as relations between the two countries reach a new low. — Euronews
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
New evidence suggests Russian forces shot down Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243
Russian military forces were involved in the missile strike on Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 which crashed on 25 December 2024, a new audio recording and a letter published by an Azerbaijani news website on Tuesday purport to prove. Azerbaijani news outlet Minval claims it received an 'anonymous letter ... containing testimonies, audio clips, and technical details' pointing to 'technical deficiencies in the communications equipment used at the time. Minval claims the letter includes a written statement 'allegedly signed by Captain Dmitry Sergeyevich Paladichuk, a Russian air defence officer (who) was acting under direct orders from Russia's Ministry of Defence when he authorised the missile strike.' Euronews cannot independently verify the authenticity of the claims in the Azerbaijani news outlet's report. Minval's news report on Tuesday quoted the letter claiming that 'Captain Paladichuk was stationed near Grozny on duty from 24 to 25 December. At 05:40 on the day of the incident, his unit was ordered to enter full combat readiness." "Due to poor mobile reception and a lack of functional wired communication, coordination relied heavily on unstable mobile connections," the letter added. "A potential target was detected at 08:11 and tracked using radar. Two missiles were reportedly fired at the object after Paladichuk was instructed via phone to destroy it — despite heavy fog obscuring optical confirmation.' According to the letter, 'the coordinates, speeds, and directions of the target at the time of both missile launches were provided in detail in the written explanation. The first missile is said to have missed, while the second one allegedly detonated close enough for shrapnel to strike the aircraft.' Minval also claimed that it reviewed "three voice messages" believed to support the claims made in the letter. The voices reportedly confirm that operational orders were given, two missiles were fired, and shrapnel from the explosion struck the aircraft, according to the outlet. The outlet has released one audio recording purporting to depict the sequence in which a voice in Russian gives military directions, orders a missile to be fired, followed by the sound of what appears to be a firing sequence, the same voice saying 'target missed', and allegedly ordering another missile to be fired. On the day of the tragedy, Azerbaijani government sources told Euronews that a Russian surface-to-air missile was fired at Flight 8243 during drone air activity above Grozny, the flight's destination. The same sources said that the shrapnel hit the passengers and cabin crew as the missile exploded next to the aircraft mid-flight, disabling it. Related Azerbaijan Airlines crash caused by foreign object damage, official report shows Russian air defence missile incident emerges as likely cause of Azerbaijan Airlines crash The damaged aircraft was not allowed to land at any Russian airports despite the pilots' requests for an emergency landing, the same sources said, and it was ordered to fly across the Caspian Sea towards Aktau in Kazakhstan, where it crashed while attempting an emergency landing, killing 38 and injuring 29. Subsequent reports after the tragedy claimed that Flight 8243 was downed by a missile from a Russian Pantsir-S1 system. Three days after the crash, in an address to the nation, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said, "we can say with complete clarity that the plane was shot down by Russia (...) We are not saying that it was done intentionally, but it was done.' At that time, on 29 December, Aliyev stated that Baku had made three demands to Russia in connection with the crash. 'First, the Russian side must apologise to Azerbaijan. Second, it must admit its guilt. Third, punish the guilty, bring them to criminal responsibility and pay compensation to the Azerbaijani state, the injured passengers and crew members,' Aliyev outlined. Aliyev noted that the first demand was 'already fulfilled' when Russian President Vladimir Putin apologised to him on 28 December. Putin called the crash a 'tragic incident," though he stopped short of acknowledging Moscow's responsibility. The Kremlin said at the time that air defence systems were firing near Grozny, where the plane attempted to land, to deflect Ukrainian drone strikes. In the days following the tragedy, Russian military bloggers claimed that the said explosion happened over the Naursky District of Chechnya, where several Russian military units were posted at the time, including those with air defence systems, basing their conclusions on open-source data. The new claims linking the Russian military to the Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 tragedy appear at a time of a fast-moving escalation of judicial measures between Russia and Azerbaijan, as relations between the two countries reach a new low.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Azerbaijan jet that crashed was riddled with holes, report says
A Russia-bound Azerbaijani jet that crashed in Kazakhstan in December had probably been damaged by "external objects" before it hit the ground, according to a report released Tuesday. The 53-page preliminary report published by Kazakhstan's transport ministry included photographs of the plane riddled with holes, but it did not identify the reason why the plane went off course and crashed in its western city of Aktau. The crash killed 38 of the 67 people on board. According to its probe, the crew had reported to air traffic control in Russia's city of Grozny about losing a GPS signal, and shortly later, lost control of the plane. The report said that the plane had "various shapes and size of damage in the tail section" and "similar damage was found on the left engine and left wing of the aircraft." Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly said that Russian air defense unintentionally shot down Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243. Russian officials had initially attributed the crash to a possible bird strike or the explosion of some sort of gas cylinder. Russian President Vladimir Putin then issued a rare public apology for what the Kremlin called in a statement a "tragic accident," saying that Russia's air defense system was working to repel a Ukrainian drone attack on the day the plane crashed. But Moscow stopped short of claiming responsibility for the crash. A U.S. official previously told CBS News there were early indications a Russian anti-aircraft system may have struck the plane in a region where Ukrainian and Russian forces have traded drone and rocket fire for months. The Kremlin statement noted that it had launched a criminal probe into the incident. Kazakhstan is heading the investigation as the crash happened on its territory. But the country, one of Russia's closest allies, has not directly blamed Moscow. USAID to merge into State Department with major budget cuts Details on Chinese retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products set to take effect next week Trump says U.S. will "take over the Gaza Strip" in presser with Netanyahu
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Azerbaijan jet that crashed was riddled with holes, report says
A Russia-bound Azerbaijani jet that crashed in Kazakhstan in December had probably been damaged by "external objects" before it hit the ground, according to a report released Tuesday. The 53-page preliminary report published by Kazakhstan's transport ministry included photographs of the plane riddled with holes, but it did not identify the reason why the plane went off course and crashed in its western city of Aktau. The crash killed 38 of the 67 people on board. According to its probe, the crew had reported to air traffic control in Russia's city of Grozny about losing a GPS signal, and shortly later, lost control of the plane. The report said that the plane had "various shapes and size of damage in the tail section" and "similar damage was found on the left engine and left wing of the aircraft." Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly said that Russian air defense unintentionally shot down Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243. Russian officials had initially attributed the crash to a possible bird strike or the explosion of some sort of gas cylinder. Russian President Vladimir Putin then issued a rare public apology for what the Kremlin called in a statement a "tragic accident," saying that Russia's air defense system was working to repel a Ukrainian drone attack on the day the plane crashed. But Moscow stopped short of claiming responsibility for the crash. A U.S. official previously told CBS News there were early indications a Russian anti-aircraft system may have struck the plane in a region where Ukrainian and Russian forces have traded drone and rocket fire for months. The Kremlin statement noted that it had launched a criminal probe into the incident. Kazakhstan is heading the investigation as the crash happened on its territory. But the country, one of Russia's closest allies, has not directly blamed Moscow. Trump's former trade chief on how tariffs affect the economy, why he says the U.S. needs them USAID to merge into State Department with major budget cuts Details on Chinese retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products set to take effect next week
