The Azerbaijani carrier Azerbaijan Airlines announced that the cause of the plane crash in Aktau, Kazakhstan, was "external physical and technical interference." Earlier, there were accusations against the Russians of using anti-aircraft defenses in connection with Ukrainian drone attacks.

General Kyrylo Budanov from Ukrainian military intelligence claims that an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer-190 was shot down over Russia, resulting in at least 38 deaths. The Embraer-190 belonging to Azerbaijan Airlines crashed near the city of Aktau in western Kazakhstan.

Multiple shrapnel holes in the plane’s fuselage and its altitude at the time of incident contradict the bird theory. Azerbaijan accused Russia of hitting the passenger jet with a missile. The pilot did not decide to fly to Aktau;