Plane Crashed in Kazakhstan Hit by Ground Fire, Azerbaijan President Says

baku - A plane that crashed in Kazakhstan this week was damaged by ground fire, according to President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan.

The plane that crashed this week in Kazakhstan was damaged by ground fire, said President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan. The crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft resulted in the deaths of dozens of passengers. Debate ensued over whether the passenger plane was hit by Russian air defenses. President Vladimir Putin of Russia had already offered apologies to Aliyev. The incident was described by the Kremlin as a "tragic incident" that occurred in Russian airspace.

The passenger plane was flying from Baku to Grozny last Wednesday. It was unable to land there due to an alleged drone attack by Ukraine, according to Russia. The aircraft later crashed in Kazakhstan. Azerbaijan is investigating the crash. Sources familiar with the initial findings had previously told Reuters that the passenger plane was accidentally shot down by Russian air defenses.