Azerbaijani passenger plane shot down on orders of the Russian Ministry of Defense - Media.

An anonymous letter was received by an Azerbaijani publication from a person who identified himself as 'a captain of Russia's Air Defense'. The letter claimed that the passenger plane of AZAL Airlines was shot down on December 25, 2024, near Grozny by direct orders from the Russian Ministry of Defense, reports 'Glavkom'.

Along with the letter, the editorial received a fragment of an audio recording in which a male voice can be heard giving the command twice: 'Fire! Fire, I say!', after which a loud explosion is heard and a phrase: 'There is a target. Missed. Repeat. Fire again!' - another voice responds: 'There is a fire'.

Military officer Dmytro Serhiyovych Paladichuk, who defended Grozny, wrote a letter detailing the technical problems that he believes contributed to the crash. The letter also contains information about the events leading up to the crash of the Embraer 190 plane.

Information about Dmytro Paladichuk

Dmytro Paladichuk, a 32-year-old officer from Russia, was born in Ekibastuz, Kazakhstan. There are records of his service in various units related to Air Defense. The Insider portal published an interview with Paladichuk, in which he confirmed the authenticity of the letter and the audio recording released by Azerbaijani media.

After the shooting down of the AZAL airline plane and the dissemination of audio recordings of the command for its downing, new questions arose regarding the military leadership of Russia. This situation will require a thorough investigation and may have serious consequences for Russian military structures.