Wikipedia directly contradicts you claim, as it says the plane was diverted to Makhachkala (which is Russian airport) and was unable to land there due to poor weather.
The pilots issued distress signal at 09:35, more than hour after the incident, and requested emergency landing at 09:49, already on their way to Aktau.
Quote from your source, bolding mine.
The pilots issued distress signal at 09:35, more than hour after the incident, and requested emergency landing at 09:49, already on their way to Aktau.
Quote from your source, bolding mine.
A surviving passenger said that on the third attempt to land in dense fog at Grozny, an explosion blew out some of the aircraft skin.[5]
At 08:16, the crew reported that the aircraft had suffered a bird strike[clarification needed]. Experiencing control difficulties, the crew requested that the aircraft be diverted to Makhachkala. At 08:22, the crew reported a hydraulics failure.[8][dubious – discuss] The aircraft then attempted to divert to Makhachkala's Uytash Airport in Dagestan, Russia. However, the weather in Makhachkala was also poor and the aircraft was unable to land. It was subsequently diverted to Aktau, Kazakhstan.[9][10] It disappeared from radar coverage at 08:40 AZT.[11]
The crew issued a distress signal by squawking 7700 at 09:35 AZT, reporting a failure of the control system.[12] At 09:49 AZT, the pilots requested an emergency landing at Aktau International Airport in Aktau, Kazakhstan, and attempted to manage the approach in direct mode,[13] with the estimated landing time set for 11:25 Kazakhstan time (AQTT, UTC+05:00).[14] At 11:00 AQTT, the Emergency Situations Department of the Mangystau Region dispatched emergency response teams and resources to Aktau airport.[14]
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