The Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed hundreds of miles away from its intended destination in Russia with dozens killed in the impact on Christmas Day.

Russian air defenses downed an Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people, four sources with knowledge of the preliminary findings of Azerbaijan's investigation into the disaster told Reuters on Thursday. Flight J2-8243 crashed on Wednesday in a ball of fire near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan…

Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Increasing analysis suggests Russian air defenses might have downed Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243, which crashed in a ball of fire near Aktau,Kazakhstan on Wednesday morning, killing 38 of 67 passengers and crew.

The crash came after the passenger jet diverted from an area of Russia where Moscow has used air defence systems against Ukrainian drone strikes.

Analysis of marks on the aircraft's fuselage are strongly suggestive it was hit by air defence systems, experts have said

An Azerbaijan Airlines flight that crashed in Kazakhstan on Wednesday was downed by a Russian air defence system.

BAKU: Russian air defences downed an Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people, four sources with knowledge of the preliminary findings of Azerbaijan's investigation into t

An Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed on Christmas Day was “likely shot down by a Russian military air defence system,” a UK-based aviation security firm has said.

Russian air defences hit the Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane which crashed killing 38 people, according to mounting evidence. The pilot's final words have been revealed

The flight is believed to have been mistakenly targeted as a Ukrainian drone by a surface-to-air missile from Chechnya