Baku disputes Kazakhstan’s findings on AZAL plane crash, points to "external impact"

 Azerbaijan’s state news agency Azertac issued a stern response on Friday to the Kazakh Ministry of Transport regarding the investigation into the crash of an AZAL Embraer 190 near Aktau.

While Kazakhstan’s latest release claimed the origin of "striking elements" found on the wreckage remained "unestablished," Baku emphasized that international experts, including representatives from ICAO, Brazil, and Russia, have ruled out technical failure.

According to the report, the discovery of shrapnel from a weapon system on the aircraft points to an external strike.

The Azerbaijani side further noted that earlier political statements from the Kremlin had already linked the weapon system to Russian air defense forces. The investigation continues under Annex 13 of the Chicago Convention to finalize the technical causes of the external impact that led to the loss of control.