The flight was en route from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku to Grozny, in Russia’s south, when it diverted and attempted an emergency landing in Kazakhstan.

Increasing analysis suggests Russian air defenses might have downed Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243, which crashed in a ball of fire near Aktau,Kazakhstan on Wednesday morning, killing 38 of 67 passengers and crew.

( NewsNation) — A former NATO ambassador says Russia will likely never take responsibility for striking down an Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day, killing 38 of the 67 people on board.