FACT CHECK: Did Russia Shoot Down Azerbaijan Airlines Plane that Crashed and Killed 38 in Kazakhstan as Mystery Holes are Seen in Fuselage? [Video]

Footage of an Azerbaijan Airlines crash that claimed the lives of 38 people reveals unusual holes in the fuselage, sparking speculation that the aircraft may have been shot down by Russian forces. The flight, which took off from Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, for Grozny in Russia, went down near Aktau in western Kazakhstan on Wednesday.

It was carrying 67 passengers and five crew members. Flight path data from Flight Radar 24 indicates that the plane was flying over Dagestan along the Caspian Sea coast before it vanished from radar, raising suspicions it might have come into contact with Russian air defense systems, which then shot down the plane for unknown reasons.

Strange Coincidence and Claims

The aircraft reappeared about an hour later, off course and flying low over the water near western Kazakhstan, before eventually crashing.Before the crash, the crew reported a strong impact on the hull. They initially suspected a collision with a flock …