The White House said preliminary evidence suggests that Russia‘s defense systems shot down a commercial flight originating in Azerbaijan. On Christmas Day, the plane, operated by Azerbaijan Airlines,

The national airlines of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have suspended some flights to Russia after evidence suggested an Azerbaijani plane had been downed by Russian air defence systems. The Kazakh airline,

Russia's aviation watchdog said the captain of the plane had been offered other airports at which to land, but had chosen Kazakhstan's Aktau.