Signs of Missile Fragment Damage Reportedly Found on Crashed Azerbaijan Plane

On December 25, an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 crashed in western Kazakhstan. The flight was en route from Baku to Grozny but was initially diverted to Makhachkala, Dagestan, due to fog and later to Aktau, Kazakhstan.

The crash claimed 38 lives, including the pilots.

While preliminary reports indicated a bird strike as the cause of the crash, Russian blogger Fighterbomber, linked to Russia’s Aerospace Forces, shared footage from the site hours later. The video, posted on Telegram, revealed marks on the tail section resembling damage from anti-aircraft missile shrapnel.

The video revealed clear marks on the surviving fragments of the aircraft’s tail section, resembling damage caused by shrapnel from an anti-aircraft missile.

Reports suggest the diversion may have followed a Ukrainian drone strike on Grozny, confirmed by the Chechen Security Council Secretary, Khamzat Kadyrov.

Dagestan’s air defense, on high alert due to recent drone attacks, was reportedly unaware of the Embraer’s landing plan.

The theory suggesting that the damage might have resulted from a missile strike was supported by other pro-military channels. Additional footage surfaced online, showing these marks in greater detail, along with damage to the plane’s left wing.

Some survivors of the crash also reported that large fragments struck the Embraer. Video footage from the aircraft's cabin revealed signs of depressurization, with visible holes in seats—likely from shrapnel—and passengers requiring medical supplies for wounds.

While the exact type of ammunition cannot be determined from the shape of the holes, it might be identified once the shrapnel fragments themselves are recovered.

Andrii Kovalenko, Head of the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation, stated on Telegram that the aircraft was shot down by a Russian anti-aircraft missile.

“This morning, an Embraer 190 aircraft from Azerbaijan Airlines, en route from Baku to Grozny, was shot down by a Russian air defense system. Russia should have closed the airspace over Grozny but failed to do so. The aircraft was damaged by Russian forces and was redirected to Kazakhstan instead of being urgently diverted to Grozny to save lives,” Kovalenko wrote.

Azerbaijan Airlines has suspended flights to Grozny and Makhachkala.