ADVERTISEMENTA series of pictures provided by Azerbaijani media outlet AnewZ display evidence that an external attack had been carried out on the Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft which crashed in Aktau, Kazakhstan last month.
The images of the airplane’s exterior, as well as interior shots of the fuselage, show apparent shrapnel marks.
An investigation into the exact causes of the crash, which killed 38 people on 25 December, is currently underway.
The Embraer 190 aircraft, which was made in Brazil, was en route from the Baku to Grozny in Russia when it was diverted and crashed in Kazakhstan. Brazilian investigators are currently working with colleagues from three other countries to analyse the airplane’s black box data.
Brazil’s air force said in a statement that nine foreign investigators have gathered with its own experts at its centre for investigation and prevention of air accidents in the capital Brasilia to work on the data extracted from the flight recorder.
Investigators in Brasilia are working on recordings, cockpit voice and flight data recorders of the aircraft, the Brazilian air force added.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said the airliner was hit by fire from the ground over Russia and “rendered uncontrollable by electronic warfare.”
Aliyev accused Russia of trying to “hush up” the issue for several days, saying he was “upset and surprised” by versions of events put forward by Russian officials.
Russian President Vladimir Putin apologised to Aliyev for what he called a “tragic incident”, but stopped short of acknowledging that Moscow was responsible.
Putin’s apology to Aliyev came as allegations mounted that the plane was shot down by Russian air defence systems attempting to fend off a Ukrainian drone strike near Grozny.
The Kremlin said that air defence systems were firing near Grozny, where the plane attempted to land, to deflect a Ukrainian drone strike.