Aircraft Safety in Russia-Ukraine War

• The Russia-Ukraine war poses significant risks for airlines operating in the region.

• The crash of an Azerbaijani airliner near Kazakhstan’s Aktau, killing 38 people, has highlighted the danger of flying over the Russia-Ukraine border zone.

• The Embraer 190 was en route from Baku to Russia’s Grozny when it attempted an emergency landing.

• Government and media reports suggest a misguided Russian anti-drone attack on the plane.

• The plane’s control system was damaged, possibly causing its loopy flight paths.

• The crash has led to a multi-stakeholder investigation into the cause, course of events, and the impact of jamming systems in air and drone defense.

• Azerbaijani and U.S. officials blame Russian air defense systems for the incident, but Putin has not acknowledged active Russian involvement or collateral damage to Azerbaijan.

• The state of warfare today is characterized by the use of drones and microdrones as low-cost weapons capable of causing damage deep inside enemy territory.

• The de-escalation of military action in the region is urgent, dependent on Moscow’s willingness to end its invasion of Ukraine and an agreement on limiting NATO expansion.