By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
WORLD REPORTS
Russia is facing accusations of downing Azerbaijan Airlines plane in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people and injuring 29 survivors on Christmas Day.
A US official told reports on Friday that the Russian air defense system is suspected to have brought down the aircraft, citing early indication and expert analysis.
“US had seen early indications that would certainly point to the possibility that this jet was brought down by Russian air defense systems,” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reports without indulging into details of this evidence.
Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer 190 was scheduled to land in the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus on Wednesday after taking off from Baku – before it was diverted for reasons which have not yet been confirmed.
Azerbaijan minister of digital development and transportation, Rashad Nabiyev also pointed out external impact as the preliminary cause of the crash.
However, Russian officials have denied responsibility, instead blaming Ukrainian drones the area. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the allegations stating that the investigators will determine the cause of the crash.
