A Russian air defense missile shot down an Azerbaijan Airlines plane, according to Budanov.

A passenger aircraft model Embraer 190 of Azerbaijan Airlines crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan after being shot down by a Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense system located on Russian territory.

This was reported by the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), Kyrylo Budanov, in a comment to the project The War Zone reported.

"As far as we know, the plane was shot down by the Pantsir-S1 air defense system on Russian territory," he stated.

Moreover, a U.S. representative informed the publication that the Russian air defense system could have hit the aircraft.

Recall that on December 25, an Embraer 190 aircraft of Azerbaijan Airlines, which was operating a flight from Baku to Grozny, crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan. As a result of the disaster, 38 passengers lost their lives, while 29 individuals, including three children, survived.

Background. Previously, Mind reported that the Azerbaijan Airlines plane, which was flying on December 25 from Baku to Grozny and crashed in Kazakhstan, was shot down by a Russian air defense system. This was confirmed by four sources in Azerbaijan informed about the investigation's progress, according to Reuters.