The United States has suggested that Russia may be responsible for the December 25 crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane, which left 38 people dead. John Kirby, a White House spokesperson, revealed that there are “early indications” of Russian involvement in the tragedy.
Kirby did not provide extensive details but confirmed that the U.S. has offered to assist in the ongoing investigation.
According to reports, the Embraer 190 plane was allegedly targeted by Russian air defense systems while attempting to land in Chechnya. Unable to proceed, the flight was redirected across the Caspian Sea to Kazakhstan, where it ultimately crashed.
The Kremlin has declined to comment directly. However, the head of Russia’s civil aviation authority acknowledged that tensions in Chechnya have risen due to recent Ukrainian drone strikes.
Aviation experts from Azerbaijan suspect that electronic jamming may have disrupted the plane’s GPS, leaving it vulnerable to shrapnel from Russian missile defenses. Azerbaijan’s transport minister described the incident as “external interference,” emphasizing that the aircraft sustained damage both inside and out.
Passengers who survived the crash reported hearing three explosions near Grozny, a claim supported by Azerbaijani MP Rasim Musabekov. “The plane was shot down over Russian territory,” Musabekov stated, adding that denying this fact is “impossible.”
Flight attendant Zulfuqar Asadov recalled the chaos: “The impact of it caused panic inside. We tried to calm them down… then there was another strike, and my arm was injured.”
Despite these harrowing circumstances, the pilots managed to save 29 lives before the aircraft crashed, though they tragically lost their own lives in the process. Investigators are now working to determine what type of missile caused this devastating incident.
