Azerbaijan suspends air traffic to Russia. Earlier on Christmas Day, an Azerbaijani plane flying to Russia crashed in Kazakhstan.
11:33•Updated 11:55
Azerbaijan will suspend air traffic to seven Russian cities, Russian media reported on Friday.
The suspension decision may be related to the events of Christmas Day. An Azerbaijan Airlines plane on its way from Azerbaijan to Grozny, Russia, crashed in Kazakhstan. 38 people were killed.
Azerbaijani official sources told the Western media after the incident that the cause of the plane crash was the Russian air defense, which was trying to repel the planes.
Official sources told Euronews that the plane was not allowed to land at Russian airports, despite repeated requests for permission to make an emergency landing.
On Friday, a spokesman for the Kremlin Dmitry Peskov said that the related investigation is ongoing and Russia will not comment on what happened until the investigation is complete.
Azerbaijan continues flights to six big Russian cities, such as Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Source: Reuters
The story was updated on December 27, 2024 at 11:54 a.m. The Kremlin’s recent comments on the matter were added to the story.