Kyiv, Ukraine – Russian air defence officials could very possibly have struck an Azerbaijani passenger jet over Chechnya after panicking during a Ukrainian drone attack, analysts and experts from Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have told Al Jazeera. Moscow might have also compounded what one expert described as a "crime" by not letting the damaged plane land nearby and instead forcing it to fly to Kazakhstan. The analysis by these experts comes amid mounting reports quoting unnamed Azerbaijani officials and other analysts pointing fingers at Russia for the crash, in which at least 38 people were killed. The Kremlin claimed that the AZAL 8432 flight with 67 passengers on board hit a flock of birds early Wednesday after it entered Russian airspace to land in Grozny, Chechnya's administrative capital. But within hours, photos and videos of the plane surfaced, apparently showing deep holes and multiple pockmarks on its tail.

The United States is encouraging Ukraine to launch cross-border "terrorist" attacks, a Russian official alleged, after Moscow was hit by a series of drone strikes. The White House, meanwhile, said on Tuesday it did not support attacks inside Russia, and that it is still gathering information on the incident. "What are these attempts to hide behind the phrase they are'gathering information'?" Anatoly Antonov, Russia's ambassador to the US, said in remarks published on the Telegram messaging channel. "This is an encouragement for Ukrainian terrorists."