BAKU, Dec 27, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Azerbaijan Airlines said Friday that the preliminary results of an investigation into the plane that crashed in Kazakhstan pointed to "physical and technical external interference", amid growing speculation it was hit by a Russian air defence system.

Announcing the suspension of flights to 10 Russian airports, Azerbaijan Airlines said the decision was "based on the preliminary results of the investigation into the crash of the Embraer 190 aircraft operating the Baku-Grozny flight J2-8243 of Azerbaijan Airlines due to physical and technical external interference".