The Kremlin urges caution and awaits the results of the investigation into the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines flight. Meanwhile, different causes are speculated, from Russian friendly fire to bird collisions
Russia maintains a cautious stance on the causes of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash yesterday in Kazakhstan. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “an investigation is underway” and that one must “wait for the end of this work” before drawing any conclusions, avoiding commenting on speculation that the plane was hit by Russian anti-missile defense projectiles, which mistook it for a Ukrainian drone. “It would be wrong to speculate before the commission presents its conclusions,” he added.
The commercial flight, which took off from Baku and headed for Grozny, crashed near the town of Aktau in Kazakhstan during an attempted emergency landing. On board were 67 people, of whom 29 survived. Russian authorities had suggested a possible collision with a flock of birds, while Grozny airport authorities explained that the plane had been diverted due to dense fog.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, who was in Russia for a meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States, made an early return to Baku after the incident.
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