Russia says Ukrainian drones attacked Grozny as Azerbaijani jet tried to land

The head of Russia’s civil aviation agency, Dmitry Yadrov, confirmed on Friday that Ukrainian drones were attacking Grozny as an Azerbaijani Airlines plane attempted to land there, before the aircraft later crashed in Kazakhstan.

The crash, which occurred on Wednesday, killed 38 of the 67 people on board.

Yadrov stated in a Telegram post that the weather conditions were difficult, with heavy fog over Grozny at the time, further complicating the situation.

A passenger of the Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer plane, who was injured in a crash near the Kazakh city of Aktau, is transported on a stretcher into an ambulance upon the arrival at an airport in Baku, Azerbaijan, December 26, 2024. Reuters

"Conditions around the airport were very complicated," Yadrov said, explaining that Ukrainian drones were engaging in what he described as "terrorist attacks on civilian infrastructure" while the plane was attempting its landing.

The Azerbaijan Airlines jet made two unsuccessful landing attempts at Grozny's airport before the pilot, facing continued threats from the drone attacks, chose to divert to Aktau Airport in Kazakhstan.

Grozny airport had temporarily suspended arrivals and departures due to the ongoing attacks, although Yadrov did not specify when this suspension occurred.

The jet eventually crashed during its approach to Aktau, killing over half of those on board. In the aftermath of the crash. Several Azerbaijani officials speculated that a Russian air defense missile might have been responsible for downing the aircraft. However, the Kremlin has refused to comment until the official investigation concludes.

While Ukrainian drone activity is blamed for complicating the aircraft’s initial landing, the exact cause of the crash remains under investigation.