White House spokesman John Kirby agrees with the Azerbaijan government, saying the “early indications” point to Russia being responsible for the crash of the Azerbaijan airliner.

The Details: Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243, heading from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku to Grozny, Russia, crashed while attempting an emergency landing a few miles outside Aktau, Kazakhstan. Of the 67 on board, at least 38 perished, according to Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev. Reuters (Center bias) said preliminary findings of the investigation point to Russian air defenses, which have been busy in recent days thwarting Ukrainian drone strikes in the area. Azerbaijani government sources told Euronews (Center bias) on Thursday their investigation confirmed a Russian missile downed the plane "during drone activity." Kirby was asked Friday about the situation saying “early indications” point to Russia, but also insisted we respect the investigation process.

For Context: Flight trackers show the path of the flight, with issues possibly related to GPS jamming and spoofing evident in the Grozny area, according to Flightradar24 on X. After disappearing from radar, the plane diverted across the Caspian Sea, near where the crash landing occurred. Authorities have yet to release the reasoning behind why the flight changed course, ending up on the opposite shore of the planned destination, but Russian state news agencies reported fog as the reason for the pilot's change of course and a bird strike as the reason for the emergency landing.

How the Media Covered It: Western media across the political spectrum covered the developments, all of which reported the possibility of Russian air defense systems being the plausible cause of the crash. Left outlets like the Washington Post (Lean Left bias) seemed to frame the suspicions of Russian responsibility as warranted based on previous aggression displayed by the country in the region. Right and center outlets, such as the Washington Examiner (Lean Right bias) and BBC (Center bias) focused primarily on the facts, highlighting Azerbaijani statements without extensively exploring the region's geopolitical dynamics.