ISTANBUL

Kazakhstan will release a preliminary report on the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane crash near Aktau Airport in the coming days, according to Minister of Transport Marat Karabayev.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Karabayev stated that the investigation is nearly complete.

“The work is nearing completion, and we expect to officially publish the preliminary report on our website in the coming days. Experts need time to finalize their analysis, as it is a meticulous process,” he said, according to Kazinform news agency.

The minister further mentioned that specialists from Kazakhstan, Brazil, Russia, and Azerbaijan are participating in the investigation.

An AZAL flight traveling from Baku to Grozny, Russia, crashed 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from Aktau, on the Caspian Sea coast, on December 25, 2024, killing 38 of the 67 people on board.

While investigations are ongoing, initial reports suggested a bird collision may have caused the crash of the Embraer 190. However, footage from the crash site showed large holes in the tail section of the aircraft, fueling speculation about a possible attack.

The day after the incident, senior Azerbaijani officials confirmed reports to Anadolu suggesting the crash was caused by a Russian missile system.

Russian President Vladimir Putin later spoke by phone with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, offering condolences and apologizing for the incident in Russian airspace.

The following day, Aliyev stated that the plane’s tail was severely damaged by "weapons fire from the ground," calling on Moscow to acknowledge responsibility, punish those responsible, and provide compensation.