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Russia has downplayed speculation that the deadly crash of an Azerbaijani airliner was caused by a Russian air-defense system.
According to reports, Ukraine’s national security official Andriy Kovalenko accused a “Russian air-defense system” of being responsible for the crash, which killed 38 people on December 25. However, Russia has not commented on the allegations and its aviation watchdog has suggested that the incident may have been caused by a bird strike.
Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan officials have also declined to comment on the cause of the crash, pointing instead to ongoing investigations.
Aviation-security firm Osprey Flight Solutions has reportedly concluded that it is “likely” the plane was hit by antiaircraft fire. The company’s chief intelligence officer Matt Borie stated in an interview that the video footage and circumstances surrounding the incident indicate a high likelihood that the aircraft was hit by some form of antiaircraft fire.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijan has observed a national day of mourning for the victims of the crash, with national flags lowered across the country, traffic halting at noon, and signals sounded from ships and trains.
Source: www.foxnews.com
