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Aktau Plane Crash

Putin Apologizes for Azerbaijan Airlines Plane Crash in Kazakhstan

Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologized for the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane that diverted from its Russian destination to Kazakhstan, the Kremlin said on Saturday, as investigators focused on the possibility that Russian air defenses had mistaken the plane for a Ukrainian drone and fired on it. Putin made the apology in a telephone conversation with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, according to a Kremlin statement. “During the conversation, it was noted that the Azerbaijani passenger aircraft, which was strictly on schedule, repeatedly attempted to land at the Grozny airport. At that time, Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were attacked by Ukrainian combat unmanned aerial vehicles, and Russian air defense systems repelled these attacks,” the statement said. Putin did not offer further detail about what exactly caused the plane to crash. In an account of the conversation, Aliyev’s office gave more detail to support the contention that Russian air defenses and communications jamming targeted the plane when it tried to land as scheduled in Grozny in Russia-controlled Chechnya, saying the aircraft “was subjected to physical and technical external interference in Russian airspace.” In the call with Putin, Aliyev “emphasized that the presence of numerous holes in the fuselage of the plane, the injuries of passengers and crew members by foreign particles that penetrated the deck of the plane while still in the air, and in this regard, the statements of the surviving flight attendants and passengers establish the fact of external physical and technical interference,” the Azerbaijani president’s office said. “During the conversation, the heads of state discussed a serious and thorough investigation of all the details of this tragedy and bringing the perpetrators to justice,” the office said. The Embraer 190 plane was flying on the Baku-Grozny route but diverted and crashed near the Caspian Sea city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Wednesday killed 38 people, according to Kazakh and Azerbaijani officials. A total of 67 people, including five crewmembers, had been on board. Kazakhstan is leading the investigation and its prosecutors have opened a criminal case. The Kremlin said two employees from the office of Azerbaijan’s prosecutor general are in Grozny and are working with Russian counterparts on the investigation.

Aktau Plane Crash

With Russia Under Scrutiny, Kazakhstan Promises Thorough Investigation into AZAL Crash

The investigation of the fatal crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane in Kazakhstan after it diverted from Russia is a major international test for Kazakh authorities, who have promised a full and impartial inquiry even as the theory that Russian air defenses had fired on the aircraft gains traction. Kazakhstan, which is in charge of the probe of the crash that killed 38 people near the Caspian Sea city of Aktau on Wednesday, has cautioned against a rush to judgment before all the evidence has been assessed. But it must navigate emerging tensions between Azerbaijan and Russia, which have put forth conflicting narratives about what happened, as well as the possible challenge of collecting evidence from the plane’s original destination of Grozny, the capital of Russian Chechnya. Azerbaijan and Russia say they are collaborating with the investigation by Kazakhstan, which comes amid geopolitical rifts over Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the efforts of countries in Central Asia to balance their interests among major trading partners and rival powers. In a sign of the growing international complexity of the crash inquiry, Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said Friday that his ministry was dispatching an eight-person team to Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital, “to examine all aspects of the incident” at the request of Azerbaijan's civil aviation authorities. Also, a team from the Brazilian company that produced the Embraer 190 plane has arrived in Kazakhstan to help with the investigation. On Friday, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev updated his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, on the investigation and and “assured that the Kazakh side will make every effort to ensure a comprehensive and objective clarification of all the circumstances of the air crash,” Tokayev’s office said. The two leaders agreed that their governments will stay in close contact during the investigation. Azerbaijan Airlines, meanwhile, said on Friday that preliminary results of the investigation showed that the Brazil-produced Embraer 190 plane on the Baku-Grozny route had crashed because of “physical and technical external interference,” a possible reference to an attack by the city’s air defenses and alleged communications jamming at a time when Russian authorities said there was a threat from Ukrainian military drones. The airline, also known by the acronym AZAL, said it had suspended flights from Baku to a total of 10 Russian cities because of concerns about flight safety. Also Friday, Dmitry Yadrov, head of Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, gave an account of the circumstances surrounding the crash that did not address the airline’s version. Yadrov said the plane was unable to land in Grozny because of a restriction requiring all aircraft to leave the area due to alleged Ukrainian attempts to attack civilian infrastructure there, according to Russia’s state-run news agency RIA Novosti. There was dense fog around the airport and the Azerbaijan Airlines plane tried to land twice before deciding to proceed across the Caspian Sea to Aktau, he said. Some commentators in Azerbaijan have expressed frustration with varying initial accounts from Russian official sources of what caused the crash,...

Nuclear Energy

Kazakhstan Plans to Accelerate Construction of First Nuclear Power Plant

Kazakhstan’s Energy Minister, Almasadam Satkaliyev, has announced that the selection of a contractor for the country’s first nuclear power plant (NPP) will be finalized in the first half of 2025. The government is awaiting proposals from bidders that focus on shortening construction timelines and reducing project costs. This follows President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's directive to expedite the implementation of the nuclear power plant project. “The commission will do everything possible to advance this process and make a decision on the contractor in the first half of 2025,” Satkaliyev told reporters. The shortlist for the potential builders includes four companies: China’s CNNC, Russia’s Rosatom, South Korea’s KHNP, and France’s EDF. Kazakh authorities have also indicated that a consortium involving multiple countries might be formed to leverage diverse technological solutions. Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar highlighted the benefits of such collaboration, where different countries could contribute specific components, such as nuclear islands, turbines, or distribution systems. Satkaliyev emphasized the need for faster construction solutions, citing a precedent where China’s national nuclear company built a power unit in Pakistan in six years. “In today’s world, there are possibilities for expedited solutions,” he stated. Kazakhstan previously projected a 10-year timeline for constructing the NPP. However, the country is expected to face a 2.4 gigawatt energy deficit by 2035, underscoring the urgency of completing the project. The energy minister noted that the process from construction to the launch of the first unit could take up to 14 years, making accelerated timelines crucial. The Times of Central Asia previously reported on the results of a referendum held on October 6, which showed that 71.12% of voters approved the construction of a nuclear power plant in the Almaty region. The accelerated development of the NPP reflects Kazakhstan’s commitment to addressing its future energy needs while integrating advanced international technologies and solutions.

Water Resources

Kazakhstan Receives Abundant Water in 2024

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation has reported record water accumulation in the country’s reservoirs and lakes in 2024. This year, Kazakhstan’s reservoirs collected over 75 billion cubic meters of water, including more than 12 billion cubic meters of floodwater from unprecedented spring floods in the western and northern regions. These floods were triggered by rapid snowmelt, leading to significant increases in water availability. According to the Ministry, efficient floodwater distribution helped replenish reservoirs and direct excess water to rivers and lakes that have faced drying trends in recent years. Notable allocations include: Lake Balkhash: Received 15.4 billion cubic meters of water in 2024, a 4-billion-cubic-meter increase from 2023. Of this, 3.3 billion cubic meters came from floodwater. Located 175 miles northwest of Almaty, Balkhash is the largest lake in Kazakhstan and the fifteenth-largest in the world. Caspian Sea: Gained 17 billion cubic meters of water, addressing concerns over its declining water level. The Times of Central Asia previously reported concerns that the Caspian could lose up to 18 meters of water by the end of the century. Kapchagay Reservoir: For the first time in a decade, this reservoir in the Almaty region filled to 100% of its capacity, collecting over 18 billion cubic meters of water. The reservoir regulates the flow of the Ili River, which originates in China and flows into Lake Balkhash. North Aral Sea: Received approximately 2.5 billion cubic meters of water, 400 million cubic meters more than in 2023. This portion of the former Aral Sea is fed by the Syr Darya River and separated from the South Aral Sea in the late 1980s due to water diversion for agriculture. Kamysh-Samar Lakes: Located in the West Kazakhstan region, these lakes were replenished with 80 million cubic meters of floodwater. Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov emphasized the Ministry’s efforts to preserve and restore large and small water bodies across Kazakhstan. During the 2024 irrigation season, approximately 11 billion cubic meters of water were supplied to the country’s farms to support agricultural activities. The record water accumulation and successful flood management efforts underscore Kazakhstan’s commitment to sustainable water resource management.

Aktau Plane Crash

Questions Mount After Azeri Plane Crash with Focus on Russian Air Defenses

On December 25, an Azerbaijani Embraer 190 aircraft operating a Baku-Grozny flight made a hard emergency landing near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan. The aircraft, carrying five crew members and 62 passengers, suffered devastating consequences. Both pilots were killed, along with 36 passengers. Additionally, 29 people, including three children, were hospitalized. The aircraft disintegrated on impact, and a fire engulfed its midsection. Initial reports suggested a bird strike, but alternative theories have since emerged. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations detailed the timeline: at 11:02 Astana time, the crew issued a distress signal while flying over the Caspian Sea. By 11:37, the plane made a hard landing in the steppe near Aktau. Before official rescue teams arrived, employees of a local energy company working nearby provided critical first aid and captured the first videos of the crash. They managed to pull 15 passengers from the wreckage of the tail section. Specialized rescue teams and medics, stationed at Aktau airport in anticipation of the emergency landing, arrived promptly thereafter. According to Nurdaulet Kilybay, Akim of Mangystau Region, "22 ambulance teams and six units from the Center for Disaster Medicine worked at the crash site." The regional multidisciplinary hospital had prepared “30 surgical and trauma beds, along with 10 intensive care beds” for victims. Speculations and Investigations Journalists questioned Bozumbayev during the briefing about theories which are currently circulating, including those suggesting air defense involvement. The official avoided drawing conclusions, stating: "It is impossible to establish even a preliminary cause because there are specialists for this. They will carry out work. Then it will be clear. I can't speak now. I watched what people are posting... While [the plane] fell to the ground, and turned over, a lot of things could have happened. So, I am far from reaching conclusions." Speculation on Russian Telegram channels has posited that perforations in the aircraft’s tail section resemble shelling damage. One theory links the crash to Ukrainian drone (UAV) raids over Grozny, suggesting that air defense systems mistakenly targeted the plane. The Telegram channel VChK-OGPU claimed that "Initially, the aircraft appears to have fallen victim to UAV jammers that were operating at the time because of a drone attack. As soon as the airliner started to descend for landing, its GPS stopped working and the dispatcher lost 'radar contact.' The pilot could not land the plane in such conditions and decided to fly to Baku. When he began to turn around to do so, there was an explosion nearby — all indications are that the plane was hit by air defense equipment." The report further alleges that the strike occurred over Chechnya’s Naursky District, home to military units equipped with air defense systems. Kazakh officials stressed the need for patience, as forensic and aviation experts work to analyze the wreckage and flight data, with Bozumbayev emphasizing that “An interdepartmental investigative and operational group has been set up. Both forensic experts and experts from our Aviation Administration, who investigate such air incidents, came with me. As part...

Disaster Response

What Happened Over Russia? Probe Into Fatal AZAL Crash in Kazakhstan Begins

Investigators into the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane in Kazakhstan that killed 38 people are trying to determine what caused the aircraft to divert from its planned landing in Grozny, the capital of Russia-controlled Chechnya. The Embraer 190 passenger plane, which was carrying 62 passengers and five crewmembers, crashed on Wednesday three kilometers from the airport at Aktau, a city on the Caspian Sea in southwestern Kazakhstan. The plane had been heading from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku to Grozny, but eventually declared an emergency and headed to Aktau, about 440 kilometers to the east and across the Caspian, for reasons that have yet to be clarified. “Even a preliminary cause cannot be established because there are specialists for that. They will carry out their work. Only after that it will be clear. I can't say anything at this point,” said Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev, according to the state Kazinform news agency. “I saw what people posted... While it was falling to the ground, it was flipping over, many things could have happened. Therefore, I am far from making any conclusions.” Russia’s state-run news agency Tass initially reported that fog in Grozny caused Flight J28243 to divert to Makhachkala, the capital of the Russian territory of Dagestan, and then to Aktau. RIA Novosti, another Russian state-owned media outlet, cited Russian aviation authorities as saying the plane diverted because of a collision with birds. However, some aviation and military analysts have paid particular attention to a video showing numerous small holes on part of the fuselage wreckage, and there is speculation that air defense systems may have fired on the plane; Chechen officials have reported shooting down drones from Ukraine, which is at war with Russia. Bozumbayev, the Kazakh minister, was asked about the possibility that the aircraft was fired on, and said that final results of the investigation will be announced after all evidence is examined, reported the Azeri Press Agency, or APA. The prosecutor general’s office in Kazakhstan has opened a criminal case and the country’s chief transport prosecutor visited the scene as a member of a government commission. Kazakh media reported that the flight recorder had been found. Video and images released by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations showed rescue teams converging in vehicles and on foot on the flaming plane wreckage in a flat expanse of land near Aktau. One vehicle trained a water hose on the flames. Debris from the plane was scattered in the area. Emergency responders were able to pull survivors from the crumpled, partly intact fuselage. Some video appearing on social media showed a survivor limping out of the wreckage while another passenger who had been rescued was unable to walk because of apparent leg injuries. Another unverified video also shows a passenger purportedly praying on the plane in the minutes before the crash. News of the crash came as Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted a meeting in St. Petersburg for leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States, a regional...