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Russia’s Vladimir Putin told Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev on Thursday that two Russian anti-aircraft missiles had exploded several meters away from an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet that crashed last year, killing 38 people on board.

The Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 jet was flying from Baku to Grozny in the republic of Chechnya on Dec. 25 when it disappeared from radar near Russia’s Caspian Sea coast before crashing later near the Kazakh city of Aktau.

Russian officials had offered conflicting explanations for the disaster, initially suggesting that poor visibility or a possible bird strike was to blame, and later saying air defense systems were targeting Ukrainian drones in the area.

  • trollercoaster@sh.itjust.works
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    1 day ago

    but these missiles have launched themselves

    You are describing the initial phase of the flight of a surface to air missile pretty accurately here. The missile launches itself into the air by expelling high velocity gases out of its rear end.

    • Hadriscus@jlai.lu
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      1 day ago

      That is good to know, but the person above (I think) is suggesting that the missiles being automated doesn’t change the attribution of blame