Two U.S. military officials told NBC News that they had intelligence indicating that Russians may have misidentified the plane and shot it down.

Summary

Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to Azerbaijan for a plane crash in Russian airspace that killed 38 people but did not confirm if Russian defenses caused it.

The airliner, en route to Grozny, was reportedly affected by “external interference” amid Ukrainian drone attacks on Grozny’s airport.

U.S. intelligence suggests the plane may have been mistakenly shot down by Russian missiles due to its irregular flight pattern.

An investigation involving civilian and military experts is ongoing, as speculation about potential Russian misidentification grows.