White House says 'early indications' point to Russia in Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash
WASHINGTON — The White House said Friday that there are "early indications" that Russian air defenses downed an Azerbaijan Airlines flight in a Christmas Day crash that killed 38 people.
It declined to say what the indications were and stressed that active investigation are underway.
"We do have, have seen, some early indications that would certainly point to the possibility that this jet was brought down by Russian air defense systems. That said, there's an ongoing investigation right now," White House national security spokesman John Kirby said in a call with reporters.
The U.S. has offered its assistance in the investigation, he said, and would respect the process that is taking place.
The aircraft was flying from Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, to Grozny in Russia when it crashed in Kazakhstan. Reuters reported Thursday that Russia's air defenses were believed to have been involved, based on the preliminary findings of the investigation.
Survivors recalled hearing loud noises before the crash, and Azerbaijan’s minister of digital development said Friday that “preliminary conclusions by experts point at external impact."
Russian officials have said that a Ukrainian drone attack was under way before the plane crashed. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined comment on the cause of the crash before the investigation has concluded, according to Reuters.