Kremlin-backed channels ignore international media reports of Azerbaijan Airlines flight likely being shot down by Russian air defenses

Kremlin-backed television channels Rossiya-1, Perviy Kanal, and NTV did not cover international media reports that pointed to a Russian surface-to-air missile beng the likely cause of the downing of Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 on Wednesday, as per The Insider’s analysis of the evening news on Dec. 26.

The aircraft, an Embraer 190 jet, was en route from Baku to Grozny on Dec. 25 when it made an emergency landing request at Aktau Airport in Kazakhstan for unspecified reasons. The flight ultimately crashed. Of the 67 people on board, 38 were killed. Among the dead were seven Russian citizens.

Initial reports in Russia cited a bird strike as the likely cause of the tragedy. Evening broadcasts on Dec. 26 did not repeat this version of events — but nor did they mention the mounting evidence indicating that the plane had been shot down by a Russian Pantsir air defense system. Reuters and Euronews, citing sources in the Azerbaijani government, have reported that a Russian air defense missile mistakenly targeted Flight 8243 amid drone activity over Grozny, the capital of Chechnya.

Rossiya-1

The 20:00 evening newscast did not report the plane crash until after a commercial break at 20:56.

Viewers were shown a story about the survivors of the plane crash — Russian citizens who were taken to Moscow hospitals. The Rossiya-1 correspondent then reported from the crash site, mentioning that decoding work was still being performed on the flight recorders and reporting on the treatment of the survivors in Aktau.

Rossiya-1 repeated a version in which the plane did not land at Grozny airport due to dense fog. However, no possible cause of the crash — whether a bird strike or a Russian missile — was mentioned.

Perviy Kanal (Channel One)

Channel One’s “Vesti” news broadcast reported on the plane crash 27 minutes minutes into its one hour fifteen minute long evening episode. A brief summary of the latest news included data on the injured Russians and the work of specialists at the crash site.

The presenter said that there were no “official versions” of the crash, mentioning only that an oxygen tank might have exploded on board. The segment lasted just under a minute, after which viewers were quickly moved on to the plans of Russia's largest car manufacturer, AvtoVAZ.

NTV

NTV viewers watching the evening edition of “Segodnya” (lit. “Today”) were treated to segments about a “prevented assassination attempts on employees of [Russia’s] Ministry of Defense,” drones on the Donetsk front, the “Christmas tree of wishes” with Vladimir Putin, the Eurasian Economic Union summit, and a press conference by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The plane crash in Aktau was covered only towards the middle of the broadcast, after the commercial break. In a short segment, the program focused on the treatment of the injured Russians, who were flown to Moscow by a special transport plane. The alleged causes of the plane crash were not mentioned.

The Insider

The Insider has published testimony from Flight 8243’s surviving passengers describing a loud “bang” or explosion on board before the plane crash. Experts speculated that the plane may have been hit by debris from a surface-to-air missile. Images from the crash site reveal holes in the tail section of the plane.

Azerbaijan Airlines has announced the suspension of flights to Grozny and Makhachkala until the investigation into the crash is concluded.

An independent aviation expert who was involved in the investigation of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 told The Insider under the condition of anonymity that Kazakh authorities are likely to delegate the investigation of the Embraer 190 crash to the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC).