Azerbaijan plane 'accidentally struck' by Russian missile? Kremlin spokesperson says, 'it would be wrong to...'

The Azerbaijan Airlines plane, en route from Baku to Grozny in Russia, crashed near Kazakhstan's Aqtau airport on Christmas Day, i.e., December 25, claiming 38 lives and leaving several injured. 

Reports, citing military experts, have suggested that the plane might have been "accidentally struck" by a Russian surface-to-air missile or antiaircraft fire, NDTV reported. 

There were a total of 67 passengers on board, out of which, five were crew members. Among the 29 survivors were three children. 

An investigation into the causes of the crash is underway, but some aviation and military experts said the plane may have been accidentally shot by Russian air defence systems as it was flying in an area where Ukrainian drone activity had been detected, news agency AFP reported. 

Moreover, Russian military expert Yury Podolyaka claimed that the holes seen in the wreckage of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane were similar to the damage caused by an "anti-aircraft missile system". "Everything points to that," he wrote.

Furthermore, the airlines in its initial statement said that the plane flew through a flock of birds. However, it later withdrew the statement.

"Would be wrong to make any hypotheses"

Russia has rubbished the claims, saying that "it would be wrong to make any hypotheses". 

"It would be wrong to make any hypotheses before the investigation's conclusions," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, as quoted by AFP. 

Azerbaijani President announces day of mourning 

Following the tragic airplane crash, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev declared Thursday a day of mourning and cancelled a planned visit to Russia. The president also ordered the "prompt initiation of urgent measures to investigate the causes of the disaster", a statement from his office said. 

"I extend my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the crash... and wish a speedy recovery to the injured," Aliyev said in a social media post.