The Azerbaijan Airlines flight was on its way from the Azerbaijani capital Baku, to the Russian city of Grozny in Chechnya, when it diverted and crash-landed near Aktau in Kazakhstan, veering hundreds of miles off its planned route.

Moscow: The tragic crash of a passenger plane bound for Russia, which claimed the lives of 38 people in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, has sparked intense speculation about the possible causes of the disaster.

After 38 people died in the crash, some experts said the plane may have been accidentally shot by Russian air defense systems in an area where Ukrainian drone activity had been reported.

Mobile phone footage circulating online appeared to show the aircraft making a steep descent before smashing into the ground in a fireball. Some of the videos posted on social media showed survivors dragging fellow passengers away from the wreckage.

Officials in Russia and Kazakhstan are urging people to wait for an investigation into the deadly Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash before assigning blame.

Footage of the wrecked fuselage appeared to indicate shrapnel damage and some aviation experts suggested the Azerbaijani Airlines plane may have been been hit by air defence syste

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.

Despite initial claims that the plane had suffered a birdstrike and Russia's efforts to pour cold water on what it has described as 'speculation,' commentators have claimed it could have been anti-air