MOSCOW: A “Carpet” operation was declared over the Grozny airspace following an incident involving an Azerbaijan Airlines flight, raising questions about the actions of Russian air defense systems. The aircraft, an Embraer passenger plane on a Baku-Grozny flight, was shot down, resulting in the deaths of 35 people, including citizens from Azerbaijan, Russia, and Kazakhstan.
According to Azeri-Press News Agency, Ali Idrisov, a former football player turned dispatcher for Grozny’s airspace, was among those questioned after the incident. Idrisov claimed he was unaware of the air defense system’s operation when the plane landed and only learned about the “Carpet” plan five minutes post-incident. Initially, Idrisov perceived the incident as a collision with a flock of birds based on crew reports before being informed of the aircraft being hit.
In addition to Idrisov, Grozny airport’s flight director, Jamlail Bakanayev, was questioned. Bakanayev asserted that all systems were functioning correctly and had been verified. He also stated that no landing obstacles were present for the Baku-Grozny flight and confirmed receiving information about the “Carpet” plan only after the event.
The Azerbaijani plane, which crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, was found to have been shot down by the Russian Air Defense System while traversing Chechen airspace. Preliminary investigations revealed that the aircraft was also impacted by Radio Electronic Warfare, leading to a loss of control. Missile shrapnel traces were discovered on the plane’s fuselage, indicating it was hit by an anti-aircraft missile complex.