Kazakh authorities have recovered the flight data recorder and an investigation is under way. Shortly after the crash, reports from Russian state-controlled TV said the most likely cause was a strike from a flock of birds.

The National Resistance Center (NRC) has obtained a letter from Turpal Ilyasov, the representative of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov in Russia's Ural Federal District, containing instructions on how to comment on the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane in Kazakhstan.

Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed in Kazakhstan after diverting from Grozny due to reported Ukrainian drone attacks and possible Russian air defense fire. Investigation underway.

Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to his Azerbaijani counterpart for what he called a "tragic incident" following the crash of an airliner.

Azerbaijan’s leader on Monday accused Moscow of carrying out a “cover up” over a passenger jet crash last month that claimed 38 lives, as relations sour between the two neighbors.

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.”