Flights to Russia Suspended After Fatal Azerbaijan Airlines Crash

Several airlines have suspended flights to Russia following the tragic crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane on Wednesday. Growing suspicions suggest that the aircraft may have been downed by Russian air defenses.

Azerbaijan Airlines announced it would halt flights to 10 Russian cities — including Mineralnye Vody, Sochi, Volgograd, Ufa, Samara, Grozny, Makhachkala, Saratov, Nizhny Novgorod, and Vladikavkaz — starting December 28. The decision was made after “preliminary results” indicated the crash was caused by “physical and technical external interference,” raising concerns about flight safety risks.

The civilian airliner, en route from Baku to Grozny in Russia’s Chechen Republic, reportedly diverted hundreds of kilometers from its flight path after passengers said they heard an explosion. The plane later crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, killing 38 people, while 29 others survived.

Other airlines have also temporarily suspended routes to Russia. Kazakhstan’s Qazaq Air suspended flights between Astana and Yekaterinburg until January 27, while Israel’s national airline, El Al, paused its Tel Aviv-Moscow route for a week. El Al has stated it will reevaluate the situation afterward.

Russia’s aviation authority claimed the plane crash was the result of the aircraft striking a flock of birds, diverting it to Aktau. However, skepticism over this explanation has emerged, as images of the wreckage show damage consistent with shrapnel.

Media outlets, including Meduza, Reuters, and Azerbaijan’s Caliber, have suggested that the passenger jet was hit by a Russian air defense missile. These reports note that the crash occurred in an area where Russian forces have been targeting Ukrainian drones in recent weeks.

Azerbaijani MP Rasim Musabekov publicly called on Russia to apologize for the incident. “The plane was shot down on Russian territory, in the sky over Grozny. And it is impossible to deny this,” he stated. He also called for those responsible to be held criminally liable and demanded compensation for the victims’ families.

Dmitry Yadrov, head of Rosaviatsia, Russia’s aviation watchdog, offered a different account. He claimed the plane could not land at Grozny Airport due to fog and ongoing attacks by Ukrainian drones on infrastructure in Grozny and Vladikavkaz. Yadrov said the pilot had been offered alternative landing options but instead chose Aktau.

This version contradicts Azerbaijani reports cited by Caliber. They claim the plane was denied permission to land at three nearby Russian airports despite filing an emergency request and was instead ordered to fly across the Caspian Sea. The conflicting accounts have only intensified questions surrounding the tragic incident.