On Christmas Day, a plane traveling from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Russia, crashed in Kazakhstan, killing over half of its passengers. Theories abound regarding why the plane made an emergency landing near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau.

The crash of an Azerbaijani airliner in Kazakhstan has killed 38 of 67 people on board. Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer 190 was en route from Azerbaijani capital Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus on Wednesday when it was diverted for reasons that aren’t fully clear yet.

According to Euronews sources, the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane flying from Baku to Grozny on 25 December was caused by a Russian surface-to-air missile that exploded nearby. Source: Euronews Quote: "Sources in the Azerbaijani government confirmed in an exclusive statement to Euronews on Thursday that a Russian surface-to-air missile was the cause of the crash of an Azerbaijani Airlines plane in Aktau on Wednesday.

Azerbaijan Airlines said that the crash of its plane in Kazakhstan on 25 December was caused by physical and technical external influence. Source: European Pravda with reference to the airline's statement on X (Twitter) Details: In the released statement,

One of the victims of a deadly plane crash in Kazakhstan was buried on Friday. Ramazan Filiev, 26, was one of 38 people killed when Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 was diverted for reasons still unclear on Wednesday and crashed while making an attempt to land in Aktau in Kazakhstan.

Azeri President Ilham Aliyev says Vladimir Putin’s apology isn’t enough, in a confrontation that shows Moscow’s waning influence over former Soviet territories.

(AP) — An Azerbaijani airliner has crashed in Kazakhstan after being diverted, killing 38 of 67 people on board. Some things to know about the crash and the speculation about a possible cause:

The Embraer 190 was traveling to Grozny, Russia, but crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, killing 38 people onboard. Investigators are focusing on Russian air defense as the likely cause.