The Kremlin said it would not comment until the ongoing investigation into the crash in Azerbaijan is completed. According to some media reports, the plane was shot down by a missile fired from the Russian air defense system. Then the Kremlin made this comment.
"The investigation is ongoing," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday. We think we should not comment on this until the investigation is over.
The Azerbaijan Airlines flight (Flight J2-8243) crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan last Wednesday. 38 people were killed. There were 67 passengers and crew in the aircraft.
The Embraer-190 passenger plane was on its way from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to the city of Grozny in the Republic of Chechnya, Russia. At one point the aircraft was turned around.
It was forced to make an emergency landing about three kilometers from the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan. The aircraft is believed to have crashed at this time.
Azerbaijan's pro-government website Caliber quoted officials as saying the plane was hit by a missile fired from Russia's Pantsir-S air defense system.
Azerbaijan Airlines suspended seven flights to Russia today. The action has been taken 'considering the security risk of the flight'. Earlier they announced the suspension of flights to Grozny in Russia and Makhachkala in Dagestan. Dagestan is a neighboring republic of Chechnya.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijani lawmaker Rasim Musabekov called for an apology from Russia over the plane crash.
'The guilty must be punished, they (Russia) should accept it," he told AFP. At the same time, it should be promised that such incidents will not be repeated. Even regrets should be expressed and compensation should be prepared.'
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