Tengrinews.kz – Footage of “statement” by official representative of Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova about Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash near Aktau is being distributed online.
In the video, Zakharova allegedly talks about the possible involvement of Russian air defense forces in the plane crash. The footage has been distributed on TikTok and Instagram. But this video cannot be trusted.
Social media users have already figured out that the video is a deepfake. Azerbaijani publics have already published a comparison of the fake and the original, from which it becomes clear that Zakharova did not make statements about a possible error of the air defense systems in the tragedy. In fact, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry only expressed condolences and said that diplomats are cooperating with Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan to clarify the information.
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Публикация от Menbe.es Xəbər Portalı (@menbe.es)
Earlier, several Azerbaijani media outlets, as well as Euronews, reported that the plane could have crashed because of a missile.
Baku-Grozny plane crash near Aktau: what happened?
On December 25, a passenger plane of Azerbaijan Airlines, flight AHY8243, crashed near Aktau.
The plane took off at 08:49 AM Astana time from Baku airport, 11 minutes earlier than scheduled. Due to thick fog in Grozny, the plane was first rerouted to Makhachkala, and then to Aktau. Flying over the Caspian Sea, the crew gave the signal "emergency" (squawk 7700). The pilots requested an emergency landing, the airport was preparing to accept the aircraft, but at 11:30 AM the plane crashed 3 kilometers from the airport.
