Kazakhstan has released its initial report on the crash of the Azerbaijani plane but is hesitant to assign blame to anyone involved.

The Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan has released a preliminary report regarding the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) aircraft that occurred on December 25 near Aktau, according to Reuters.

According to the document, holes found in the fuselage of the aircraft indicate the penetration of external objects. These damages resulted in hydraulic fluid leakage, loss of pressure, and stabilizer malfunction.

The agency also presented photographs of the aircraft’s fuselage with multiple punctures.

“Experts discovered numerous through and non-through damages of various sizes and shapes in the tail section of the fuselage, the fin, and the stabilizer, as well as the elevator and rudder. Such damages were identified on the left engine and left wing of the aircraft, as well as on various units and components of the aircraft,” the report states.

The document emphasizes that the current investigation is not aimed at determining “the share of anyone's guilt or responsibility.”

Experts continue to examine the debris extracted from the fuselage.

The data provided is preliminary and may be refined as all circumstances of the disaster are studied. A final report with conclusions will be published after the investigation is completed.

The Embraer E190 aircraft of AZAL, which was en route from Baku to Grozny, crashed on December 25 in the vicinity of Aktau. Out of 62 passengers and five crew members, 38 people lost their lives.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that the aircraft was shot down from the ground. According to sources from Reuters and Euronews within the Azerbaijani government, the plane may have been hit by a missile from the Pantsir air defense system while repelling a drone attack on Grozny.

After sustaining damage, the crew requested an emergency landing; however, no Russian airport granted permission to accept the aircraft. Consequently, the plane headed towards Aktau over the Caspian Sea.

Three days later, Putin called Aliyev and apologized for the “tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace.” The Azerbaijani president demands that Moscow officially acknowledge its responsibility.

In light of the incident, nine airlines announced partial suspensions of flights to Russia from countries including Kazakhstan, Israel, UAE, China, Serbia, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan, as well as “Turkmenistan Airlines.”

In addition, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) recommended that carriers refrain from flying to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Rostov-on-Don, and Samara.