US Alleges Possible Russian Involvement in Azerbaijani Plane Crash

White House spokesperson John Kirby has stated that the US has observed “preliminary signs” suggesting that Russia may have played a role in the downing of the Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft that crashed on December 25, resulting in 38 fatalities.

Mr. Kirby did not provide further specifics but mentioned to reporters that the US had extended assistance for the investigation into the incident.

It is believed that the aircraft encountered fire from Russian air defense systems while attempting to land in Chechnya before being redirected over the Caspian Sea to Kazakhstan, where it ultimately crashed.

The Kremlin has declined to comment, though the leader of Russia’s civil aviation agency remarked that the situation in Chechnya is “very complex” due to Ukrainian drone assaults in the area.

According to the Washington Post, Mr. Kirby indicated that the signs the US detected went beyond widely circulated images of the damaged aircraft.

Aviation specialists and others in Azerbaijan suspect that the aircraft’s GPS systems were disrupted by electronic jamming, leading to damage from shrapnel resulting from Russian air defense missile explosions.

While Azerbaijan has not formally accused Russia, the nation’s transport minister stated that the aircraft experienced “external interference” and sustained damage both inside and outside while attempting to land.

“All [the survivors] without exception reported hearing three explosion sounds when the plane was above Grozny,” said Rashad Nabiyev.

Mr. Nabiyev noted that investigators would subsequently look into “what type of weapon, or specifically what kind of missile was employed.”

Nonetheless, pro-government MP Rasim Musabekov made it clear: “The aircraft was shot down over Russian territory, in the airspace above Grozny. Denying this is impossible.”

He communicated to the AFP news agency that the aircraft had been damaged and that the pilot requested to execute an emergency landing in Grozny, but instead of being directed to nearby airfields, it was “sent far away” across the Caspian Sea without GPS.

Flight attendant Zulfuqar Asadov recounted the moments when the aircraft experienced “some kind of external strike” while over Chechnya.

“The force of it caused panic inside. We attempted to calm the passengers and secure them in their seats. At that moment, there was another impact, and my arm sustained an injury.”

The pilots of the Embraer 190 aircraft are credited with rescuing 29 individuals on board by managing to land a portion of the plane, despite losing their own lives in the crash.

The Kremlin has refrained from commenting on the growing number of reports suggesting that the Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft was struck by Russian air defense.

“An investigation into this aviation incident is currently ongoing, and until conclusions are drawn from it, we do not believe it is appropriate to offer any assessments,” stated spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.

Kazakh authorities have been caring for the injured and collaborating closely with Azerbaijan on the investigation.

Reports from Baku indicate that both Russia and Kazakhstan have suggested that a committee from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) – a regional association largely influenced by Russia – investigate the crash, but Azerbaijan has insisted on an international inquiry instead.