Azerbaijan minister suggests 'weapon' hit crashed plane
Indications that Wednesday's crash of a Russia-bound passenger plane from Azerbaijan was caused by Russian air defense systems continued to grow on Friday.
The Embraer jet came down near Aktau airport in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, killing 38 people. Twenty-nine survived.
Azerbaijan's Transport Minister Rashan Nabiyev said witness statements suggested there was "an explosive noise outside" before the plane was "hit by something."
"The type of weapon used in the impact will be determined during the probe," Nabiyev said.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby meanwhile said that Washington has observed some "early indications that would certainly point to the possibility that this jet was brought down by Russian air defense systems," but refused to elaborate, citing an ongoing investigation.
'External interference' caused crash, Azerbaijan airline says
Earlier on Friday, Azerbaijan Airlines said that preliminary findings from the investigation into the crash suggest "physical and technical external interference."
Azerbaijan Airlines on Friday also suspended flights to a number of Russian cities amid growing speculation the plane was downed by Russian air defense fire.
The airline said it was "taking into account the initial results of the investigation into the crash... and taking into account flight safety risks."
News agency Interfax said Azerbaijan Airlines would still run flights to six major Russian cities, including Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Meanwhile, an Azerbaijan Airlines flight to the southern Russian city of Mineralnye Vody turned back to Baku on Friday after a chunk of Russian airspace was closed, Russia's state-run TASS news agency reported.
Passengers heard at least one loud bang
Some of the survivors of the crash told the Reuters news agency they had heard at least one loud bang as the plane approached its original destination of Grozny, in southern Russia.
"It was obvious that the plane had been damaged in some way," said Subhonkul Rakhimov, one of the passengers speaking from hospital. "It was as if it was drunk — not the same plane anymore."
Another passenger, Vafa Shabanova, also heard a bang and said, "I was very scared."
Kremlin declines to comment amid investigation
The Kremlin said it was too early to comment on the allegations that a Russian air defense missile was responsible for the Azerbaijan Airlines crash.
"An investigation is underway, and until the conclusions of the investigation, we do not consider we have the right to make any comments and we will not do so," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday.
However, the head of Russia's civil aviation agency, Dmitry Yadrov, said on Telegram that there was fog over the airport in Grozny — the flight's scheduled destination. He also claimed that Ukrainian drones were striking the city around the time of the incident.
"Ukrainian military drones were carrying out terrorist attacks on civilian infrastructure... at the time," Yadrov said on Friday.
"The pilot was offered alternative airports. He took the decision to go to Aktau airport."
He compared the latest crash to the shooting down of MH17 flight over 10 years ago, which Ukraine and the West believe was hit by a missile fired by Russian-backed defense forces. Moscow has blamed Ukrainian military for the tragedy, which killed nearly 300 people.
"If Russia decides to spread lies in the same way that it did in the MH17 case, we will need to consolidate all international pressure on Moscow in order to establish the truth and ensure accountability," Zelenskyy said.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Andriy Yermak also blamed Russia for "shooting down" the plane.
News outlets including Reuters and The New York Times reported that a Russian missile was likely involved in the crash, citing Azerbaijani security sources close to the investigation.
"No one claims that it was done on purpose. However, taking into account the established facts, Baku expects the Russian side to confess to the shooting down of the Azerbaijani aircraft," a source told Reuters on Thursday.
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