U.S. Official: Russian Defense Likely Shot Down Azerbaijani Plane

A U.S. official stated on Thursday, December 28, to ABC News that there are initial signs suggesting that a Russian air defense system may have fired at an Azerbaijani Airlines plane that crashed in Kazakhstan, resulting in dozens of fatalities. The official, whose identity was not disclosed in the ABC report, indicated that if these signs are accurate, it underscores Russia's recklessness in its attack on Ukraine. During the downing of the Ukrainian plane Flight 752 in the outskirts of Tehran on January 8, 2020, it was also U.S. officials who, after days of denial from Iranian authorities, announced that evidence indicated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' air defense had shot down that aircraft. At that time, it was reported that the IRGC had used a Russian air defense system. Four sources familiar with Azerbaijan's preliminary investigations also told Reuters on Thursday that Russian air defense shot down the Azerbaijani Airlines plane with 67 passengers. The plane crashed in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, leaving 38 dead. Flight J2-8243 went down near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan after deviating from an area in southern Russia where Moscow has repeatedly used its air defense systems against Ukrainian drone attacks. Meanwhile, NBC News reported that the Kremlin has warned against speculation regarding the downing of the Azerbaijani Airlines plane by Russia. Russian news sites had previously attempted to attribute the crash to a bird strike on its engine or bad weather. According to an Associated Press report, Russia's civilian aviation authority, Rosaviatsiya, claimed that initial information indicates the pilots diverted towards Aktau after a bird strike caused an emergency situation in the aircraft. The Russian Defense Ministry has not responded to Reuters' inquiries about these reports. Reports: Military area in Russia caused the deviation of the Azerbaijani plane's route. Passenger plane crash in Kazakhstan; several passengers survived.