A Russian air defence system was responsible for shooting down the Azerbaijan Airlines flight that killed 38 people.
This is according to top sources in Azerbaijan with the knowledge of the investigation, Reuters reports.
The Embraer passenger jet, flight J2-8243, crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Wednesday after diverting from its scheduled route from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Chechnya.
The crash occurred on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea.
Russia’s aviation watchdog initially indicated that the crash may have been caused by a bird strike.
However, the plane had flown into a region where Moscow has used air defence systems in response to recent Ukrainian drone strikes.
Authorities have yet to explain why the plane crossed the Caspian Sea, and investigations have been called for by Russian, Azerbaijani, and Kazakhstani officials.
