Azerbaijan’s president accuses Russia of downing airliner in Christmas Day crash and covering up cause

 

Azerbaijan’s president accuses Russia of downing airliner in Christmas Day crash and covering up cause

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed condolences over the incident but has not confirmed that Russian forces were responsible for downing the plane. The Kremlin acknowledged a "tragic incident" and opened a criminal case but did not confirm downing the plane.

Investigations are ongoing, with authorities from Azerbaijan, Russia, and Kazakhstan collaborating to determine the exact cause of the crash. Preliminary findings suggest that the aircraft was hit by a Russian surface-to-air missile during efforts to repel a Ukrainian drone attack on Grozny Airport. 

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