Rosaviatsia, Russia's Federal Agency for Air Transport, has tried to address the issue of maintaining passenger aircraft by allowing airlines to "cannibalize" its planes by removing serviceable spare parts from some airliners to install them on others.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency warned airlines to steer clear of several cities in Russia following the fatal crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet that was likely shot down by Russian forces.

Russia's Pulkovo airport in St Petersburg temporarily halted flight arrivals and departures from 7:45 a.m. (0445 GMT) on Saturday to ensure the safety of civilian aircraft, Russia's aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia said.

Ukraine has targeted Russian infrastructure with considerable success since the start of the war almost three years ago.

In the crash’s aftermath, Azerbaijan has unleashed rare and stinging criticism of Russia, with the country’s president saying Moscow’s response has caused “surprise, regret and rightful indignation.”

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has accused Russia of accidentally shooting down an airliner on Christmas Day in a disaster that killed 38 people, and covering up the cause.

An Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 was en route from Azerbaijan's capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny when it crashed, killing 38 people onboard.

Four Russian airports briefly suspended traffic early Sunday for "safety" reasons, forcing at least eight planes to divert course, a spokesperson for Russia's civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia ...

Experts say evidence in the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Kazakhstan points to a possible midair explosion, not an encounter with a flock of birds.

Matt Borie, chief intelligence officer for aviation security firm Osprey Flight Solutions, joins NewsNation's "Elizabeth Vargas Reports" to discuss early indications from U.S. officials that a Russian anti-aircraft system downed an Azerbaijan Airlines ...

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev added that it was unintentional but criticised Moscow for trying to “hush up” the shooting for days.View on euronews