1/ Russian air defence crews reportedly shot down Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 with two missiles fired from a Pantsir launcher near Grozny, after being 'blinded' by a Russian electronic warfare system, according to a detailed account of the incident on 25 December 2024. ⬇️ 
2/ An account published by the VChK-OGPU Telegram channel, which has often published information that appears to have been leaked from sources in the Russian security forces, describes some of the preliminary findings of the official Russian criminal investigation.
3/ It reports that Grozny was guarded by the following air defence systems: two Pantsirs, an S-300 (recently delivered from Syria) and a Buk air defense system. One of the Pantsirs was installed in the Visaitovsky district north-west of Grozny.
4/ The Pantsir unit had only recently been installed there after the same area was targeted by Ukrainian long-range drones earlier in December. Its three-man crew – commander, operator and driver – were interrogated by the Russian Investigative Commmittee.
https://x.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1868232175415668826
5/ According to VChK-OGPU, "their air defence system fired two missiles: at 08:13:30 and at 08:13:40. The missiles exploded at 8:13:50 and 8:14:30. The latter explosion hit the plane."
6/ "According to the [Pantsir commander], the orders to launch both missiles were given from Rostov, by a commander named Borisov.
7/ "When asked about the targets, the combat vehicle commander explained that such a powerful electronic warfare system was in operation that it “jammed” not only civilian but also military equipment. This also affected the operation of the air defense missile system.
8/ "For some reason, the plane was not displayed in “green” on the air defense missile system’s radar. He believed that he had an unspecified target.
9/ "A direct question was asked whether he understood that there was a civilian plane in the kill zone, since the aircraft was flying at an altitude that was not typical for drones and had different parameters from the UAV.
10/ "The commander did not give a clear answer, explaining that an order was given for each “launch,” but the plane was not displayed on the air defence missile system as a civilian aircraft. Like, how did he know whose plane it was?
11/ "The "new" timing confirms the version that the plane was hit by one of the missiles fired from the Pantsir. According to updated data, the impact on board occurred even earlier, not at 8:16, but at around 8:14.
12/ "Investigators came to this conclusion after carefully listening to the audio file of the conversations between the dispatcher and the plane's crew.
13/ "If this moment was marked as "inaudible" in the transcript (most likely on purpose, so that there was no time connection between the missile explosions and the "impact" on the plane), then in the audio you can hear: "a bird hit me."
14/ "Two minutes later, the crew repeated this more clearly.
According to new data, ground services record that the plane was 16 kilometers from the airport at 8:14, but still over the same Naursky District.
According to new data, ground services record that the plane was 16 kilometers from the airport at 8:14, but still over the same Naursky District.
15/ "Returning to the testimony of the combat vehicle commander, it turned out that the SAM crews are not informed of the flight schedule of civilian aircraft at all.
In order to launch the missiles, the commander called Rostov twice via landline communications.
In order to launch the missiles, the commander called Rostov twice via landline communications.
16/ At the same time, the crew allegedly could not visually observe the target due to fog, [according to] testimony given by the shift commander servicing the SAM.
17/ "But the commander of the second Pantsir, which is based at the airport, observed the civilian aircraft with his own eyes and did not fire at it.
18/ "This became known after listening to the background recording from the control room. The SAM commander informed the dispatcher by radio that he was observing an aircraft within sight.
19/ "Investigators asked the crew commander why he did not contact the commander of the other combat vehicle. And he replied that they had "problems" with landline communications. And the cellular communications did not work due to electronic warfare ...
20/ "Specialists have still not been able to establish the electronic warfare of which unit or organization carried out such a powerful “jammer” that nothing worked in the planes or in the air defence systems.
21/ "So far, no one has confessed to the EW, and the special equipment on site (border guards brought in a special vehicle) has not yielded any clues. The jammer's signal was recorded for another day after the tragedy, and then disappeared."
22/ VChK-OGPU reports that the Russian authorities are trying to concoct a more palatable version of events, that "the missiles from the Pantsir were fired at [a Ukrainian] drone, they missed the target and unsuccessfully self-destructed near the AZAL plane."
23/ In this version, the plane was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, rather than the Pantsir having fired at it by mistake. The Investigative Committee's head Alexander Bastrykin has reportedly given a priority order to find the remains of the supposed UAV.
24/ However, there seems to be no evidence of a drone existing. VChK-OGPU says, "the personnel of the Russian Guard have been combing an area of about 40 square kilometers for a second day in search of parts of the drone. And they can’t find it." /end
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