Russia May Be Responsible For Deadly Azerbaijani Plane Crash, U.S. Says

A new U.S. assessment indicates that a Russian air defense system may have downed Azerbaijani passenger plane in Kazakhstan which killed at least 38 people on board, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports citing two American officials.

"We've seen early indications which suggest a Russian anti-aircraft system may have downed the Azerbaijan Airlines flight on Christmas Day," one senior U.S. official told reporters Wednesday afternoon without offering further details including the type of anti-aircraft system that Russia has used.

"Bear in mind that this is only an early indication; there is more information to come," another official told TURAN's correspondent.

The officials also pointed out that the crash occurred shortly after Ukraine fired drones nearby at southern Russia, possibly leading Russian defense systems to inadvertently strike the aircraft.  "This only speaks to the unprofessionalism, the lack of training for Russian units who may well have been trying to defend against experienced Ukrainian drone attacks when it seems they may have fired on a commercial jet," an official went on to add.

"There is, of course, a precedent for this," another official noted, hinting at the 2014 Malaysian Airlines' plane crash over Ukraine by the Russians. Moscow never accepted responsibility for the incident which claimed 200 lives.

The State Department in its reaction to the plane crash Wednesday morning, did not refer to the U.S. assessment, however Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a social media post that Washington stood 'ready to assist' authorities in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.

"We are deeply saddened to hear the news of the Azerbaijan Airlines accident in Kazakhstan. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims, and we wish a speedy recovery to those injured," Miller noted.

NATO spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah on a social media post Wednesday afternoon called for a full investigation into the cause of the plane crash, while Canada also expressed 'deep concern' by reports that Russian Air Defence Forces may have fired a missile on flight 8243 causing it to crash land.

"Canada offers its sincere condolences to the families of the innocent victims, and those affected by the tragedy. We call on Russia to allow for an open and transparent investigation into the incident and to accept its findings," Canadian Foreign Ministry said in a social media post.