On Friday, December 29, the Association of Families of Victims of Flight PS752 issued a statement condemning the downing of Azerbaijan Flight 8243, on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the criminal downing of Flight PS752. The association emphasized that silence and claims of neutrality in the face of such crimes are tantamount to complicity with the perpetrators.
The association also expressed concern about the possible role of Russian air defenses in the downing of the Azerbaijani aircraft, stating, "If Russia's role is confirmed, this would be the third instance of aircraft being downed by Russian-affiliated forces in various parts of the world."
The statement referred to the downing of "MH17 in Ukraine" and "Flight PS752" by the Islamic Republic of Iran and criticized the International Civil Aviation Organization and other international bodies. The association called for a review of these organizations' performance.
In addition, the Association of Families of Victims of Flight PS752 expressed solidarity with the families of the victims of Flight 8243 and called for the immediate launch of an impartial investigation into the incident and the prosecution of the PS752 case. They declared, "The Iranian and Russian regimes must be punished for these crimes. We will never forget the criminals and their accomplices."
An American official told ABC News on Thursday, December 28, that early indications suggest that a Russian anti-aircraft system likely fired on the Azerbaijan Airlines plane. The official added, "If these indications are correct, it shows Russia's recklessness in attacking Ukraine."
Four sources familiar with the initial Azerbaijani investigation told Reuters that Russian air defenses had shot down the Azerbaijan Airlines plane with 67 passengers. Flight J2-8243 deviated while passing through a region in southern Russia where Moscow has been using its air defense systems against Ukrainian drone attacks and then crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people.
Russian news sites attempted to attribute the crash to a bird strike or bad weather. During the downing of Ukrainian Flight 752 on the outskirts of Tehran on January 8, 2020, US officials, after days of denial by Iranian officials, announced that evidence indicated that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's anti-aircraft defense had shot down the plane. It was also reported at the time that the IRGC had used a Russian anti-aircraft system.
