Aktau, Kazakhstan — A tragic Azerbaijan Airlines crash near the city of Aktau on Wednesday claimed the lives of at least 38 people, with 29 others injured, according to Kazakh authorities. The Embraer 190 passenger jet, flying from Azerbaijan to Russia, veered hundreds of miles off its intended route before crashing on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea.
The flight, J2-8243, was carrying 62 passengers and five crew members. Officials have not yet explained why the aircraft deviated from its planned route. The crash followed reports of drone strikes in southern Russia, where drone activity has previously forced airport closures. On Wednesday morning, the nearest Russian airport along the plane’s flight path had been shut down.
Russia’s aviation watchdog suggested the incident may have been caused by a bird strike. However, aviation-security firm Osprey Flight Solutions proposed a more alarming scenario, claiming the jet was “likely shot down by a Russian military air-defense system,” as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
“Video of the wreckage and the circumstances around the airspace security environment in southwest Russia indicate the possibility the aircraft was hit by some form of antiaircraft fire,” said Matt Borie, Osprey’s chief intelligence officer.
Ukrainian national security official Andriy Kovalenko also pointed to Russian involvement, accusing a “Russian air-defense system” of bringing down the plane in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
The passengers aboard included 42 Azerbaijani citizens, 16 Russians, six Kazakhstanis, and three Kyrgyzstani nationals. Both pilots reportedly died in the crash, according to Russian news agency Interfax. Medical teams at the scene have recovered four bodies so far, with survivors, including two children, being treated in nearby hospitals.
Kazakh authorities have launched an investigation, while tensions continue to rise amid competing narratives over the cause of the tragedy.