Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash: Early indications suggest Russian anti-aircraft system may have downed jet, US official says. Here’s what we know
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Reports: Russian Missile Likely Shot Down Azerbaijan Plane
Above: A view of the scene after an Azerbaijan Airlines flight with 67 people on board crashed near the Kazakh Caspian city of Aktau on Dec. 25, 2024. Image copyright: Issa Tazhenbayev/Contributor/Anadolu via Getty Images
The Spin
Anti-Russia narrative
There are clear indications that a Russian anti-aircraft system struck the Azerbaijan Airlines flight on Wednesday. Russia's recklessness in its war with Ukraine likely resulted in its electronic warfare systems paralyzing the aircraft's communications, forcing it to divert across the Caspian Sea rather than land at nearby Russian airports despite requests from the pilots for an emergency landing. This would be an act of negligence, and Russia should be held accountable.
Pro-Russia narrative
The reasons for the crash aren't yet known. What's known so far is that the flight was diverted because of poor weather conditions and crashed during its landing. The aircraft could have experienced a technical failure, or a flock of birds could have collided with it. It's unethical to prematurely point fingers at Moscow when the investigation is underway and police are still conducting forensic examinations.