A plane from Azerbaijan Airlines is said to have been hit by a Russian air defense missile in the airspace over Grozny in the Russian republic of Chechnya, according to government sources in Azerbaijan, cited by Euronews.
Intelligence information in the USA also points to Russian air defense being behind the shooting. A high-ranking government source says that Russian air defense may have hit the plane.
The shooting is said to have occurred in connection with Russia's attempt to shoot down Ukrainian drones. Despite the pilots' distress calls, the plane was not allowed to land in Russia, but was ordered to fly over the Caspian Sea to Aktau in Kazakhstan.
About three kilometers from the airport in the Kazakh coastal city of Aktau, the plane then crashed after the pilots lost control of it. At least 38 people, including the pilots, have since been confirmed dead.
Different explanations
Shortly after the crash, an official Russian statement claimed that the pilots on board the plane changed course due to an emergency after a bird collision.
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, on the other hand, said that the plane's diversion was triggered by the weather – thick fog was said to have surrounded Grozny at the time.
As the plane began to be investigated, speculation arose that the crash was actually due to something entirely different.
Russian shooting
Experts have already pointed out that holes in the plane's tail section may indicate that it was subjected to Russian shooting, actually intended to defend the country against Ukrainian drones.
Ukraine has previously defended itself against the Russian war of aggression by sending drones against Grozny. According to unconfirmed reports from Russian media, Chechnya was also targeted on Wednesday.
Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov, however, refused to comment on the reports of Russia's responsibility.
It would be wrong to make any hypotheses before the investigators have delivered their verdict, he told reporters.
Even in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, there has been relative silence from official sources about the cause of the crash since Wednesday.
