Serbia's largest airline has halted flights to Russia following the crash of an Azerbaijani plane.

Air Serbia will cease flights from Belgrade to the Russian cities of Kazan and Sochi starting at the end of January.

This information was reported by the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR), citing data from the airline's booking system. The last flight to Kazan is scheduled for January 18, and to Sochi on January 20.

However, the largest Serbian airline has not yet provided any official comments regarding the cancellation of these flights. Flights to Moscow and St. Petersburg remain available for booking.

Air Serbia's decision coincides with a series of similar actions taken by other airlines following the tragedy involving an Embraer 190 aircraft of Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL), which crashed near Kazakhstan's Aktau on December 25.

According to The Moscow Times, flights to Russian cities were previously canceled by Azerbaijan Airlines, Kazakhstan's Qazaq Air, Israel's El Al, the Arab Flydubai, and Turkmenistan Airlines.

Immediately after the plane crash, sources from Euronews and Reuters within the Azerbaijani government reported that the cause of the disaster was a Russian surface-to-air missile fired during the defense against a drone attack over Grozny.

The missile exploded near the aircraft, damaging its fuselage. The crew requested an emergency landing, but no Russian airport granted permission to land. As a result, the plane headed over the Caspian Sea towards Aktau.

On December 29, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that the AZAL aircraft was damaged “as a result of ground fire” on Russian territory.

He also noted that some Russian officials attempted to cover up the fact that the aircraft was shot at by air defense systems, which he claimed was an attempt to “sweep the issue under the rug.”

According to reports from the Kremlin, Putin called Ilham Aliyev and apologized for the “tragic incident” that occurred in Russian airspace. However, he did not specify the direct cause of the crash, only clarifying that at that time, Russian air defense was repelling a drone attack on Grozny, Mozdok, and Vladikavkaz.