"Great tragedy": Deadly plane crash in Kazakhstan sparks conspiracy theories Russia did it
SalonAn Azerbaijani airliner crashed into a fireball Wednesday near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau and the internet is abuzz with theories as to what caused it. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said at a news conference that it was too soon to speculate on the reasons behind the crash, pointing to bad weather as the reason the plane diverted from its original course. The Azerbaijan Airlines plane, an Embraer 190, was traveling from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus before it attempted an emergency landing. BNO News reported that “The pilots sent a distress call around the time Russian air defense was responding to a Ukrainian drone attack.” When asked whether the plane was shot down, Kazakh deputy prime minister Kanat Bozumbayev said, "I dare not make premature statements." According to the Wall Street Journal, the plane’s intended destination in southern Russia was in an area where Moscow’s air defenses have recently battled Ukrainian drones.