Russia plays down speculation about deadly Azerbaijani plane crash

Officials In Russia Kazakhstan remained silent after the Azerbaijani Airlines plane crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau on Wednesday, with dozens of lives on board.

A Ukrainian national security official blamed Russian air defense fire for the fatal crash that killed 38 people on Christmas Day.

The Embraer 190 passenger plane was flying from Azerbaijan to Russia with 62 passengers and five crew members on board, according to Kazakh authorities. It flew hundreds of miles off its intended course and crashed on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea. Twenty-nine people survived.

A video clip of the crash showed the plane landing quickly before it caught fire when it hit the seashore, and then thick black smoke billowed out, Reuters reported.

Blame Russia for Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash hundreds of miles off course, killing dozens

Officials did not immediately explain why the plane crossed the sea, but it crashed shortly after Drone strikes Hit southern Russia. Drone activity has closed airports in the region in the past, and the closest Russian airport on the plane’s flight path was closed on Wednesday morning.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that the cause of the accident was under investigation. He told reporters that “it would be a mistake to make assumptions before investigators issue a ruling,” the Associated Press reported.

Kazakh Parliament Speaker Molen Ashimbaev also warned against rushing to conclusions based on images of the plane’s fragments, and described allegations of air defense launches as baseless and “immoral.”

Other officials in Kazakhstan Azerbaijan also refused to comment on the cause of the accident, and pointed to ongoing investigations for answers, according to the Associated Press.

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Earlier, Ukrainian national security official Andriy Kovalenko blamed a “Russian air defense system” for the plane X crash on Wednesday.

“However, admitting this is uncomfortable for everyone, so efforts will be made to cover up the matter, even the holes in the remaining parts of the plane,” Kovalenko added.

Aviation security company Osprey Flight Solutions said the plane “was likely shot down by a Russian military air defense system.” The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday night.

“The video of the wreckage and the conditions surrounding the airspace security environment in southwest Russia indicate the aircraft may have been exposed to some form of anti-aircraft fire,” Matt Burry, Osprey’s chief intelligence officer, said in an interview.

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Meanwhile, Russia’s aviation watchdog said it was an emergency, possibly caused by a bird collision.

The Kremlin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Azerbaijan declared a national day of mourning Thursday for the 38 victims of the plane crash. National flags were lowered across the country, traffic stopped at noon, and signals were sounded from ships and trains as people observed a nationwide minute of silence, the Associated Press reported.

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“We will never forget the dear people we lost in the Embraer-190 plane crash,” Azerbaijan Airlines said in a statement on Thursday. “This loss has left a deep wound in the heart of the entire community. It reminds us to be more compassionate and connected to each other.”

“May the souls of those who tragically lost their lives rest in peace, and may their memories live on forever.”

Fox News Digital’s Pilar Arias and Elizabeth Pritchett, along with The Associated Press, contributed to this report.