This was stated by John Kirby, the White House advisor on national security communications, during a briefing that is quoted by "Ukrinform."
He did not provide any details or specify what exact evidence he was referring to. However, he mentioned that it could undoubtedly indicate Russia's involvement in the downing of the Azerbaijani Airlines plane.
Earlier today, on December 27, Azerbaijan's Minister of Digital Development and Transport, Rashad Nabiyev, stated that there are grounds to believe that the plane's crash was due to "external interference" in its operation, reports the agency Report. He referred to the appearance of the aircraft wreckage on the ground and eyewitness testimonies.
Previously, social media circulated footage of the aircraft's tail section, which showed marks resembling damage from shrapnel. OSINT analysts claimed they resembled traces from the Pantsir air defense system. Other bloggers suggested that the damage could have been caused by stones during the crash.
On December 25, an Azerbaijan Airlines plane was operating a flight from the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, to the Russian city of Grozny (Chechen Republic). However, after changing its route several times, it crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau. As a result, 38 people died on board.
Russian aviation authorities initially claimed that the crash occurred due to a bird strike. According to Grozny airport, the plane was redirected to Makhachkala due to fog, and then from there to Aktau. However, analysts consider these versions questionable.
Although there was indeed fog over the region that morning, Grozny airport was temporarily closed due to the announcement of a "Carpet" plan amid drone attacks. The monitoring portal Flightradar24 reported that after approaching the Grozny area, the flight path data of the plane was distorted—likely due to GPS signal jamming and data alteration.
Kazakh media, citing the health department of the Mangystau region, reported that an explosion occurred on board. Survivors of the crash also spoke of an explosion. The police have initiated a criminal case regarding the plane crash.
In Russia and Kazakhstan, there have been calls to refrain from jumping to conclusions. Meanwhile, according to media reports, preliminary investigations in Azerbaijan indicate that the cause of the crash is a Russian missile which could have been launched to counter drone attacks. This is also asserted by Kirill Budanov, the head of the GUR MOU.
According to Reuters, Azerbaijan does not claim that the plane was shot down intentionally but expects "acknowledgments" from the Russian side.