Azerbaijani, Kazakh and Israeli airlines suspended flight to Russian cities.

Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin expressed condolences and apologies over the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight in Russian airspace near Grozny, Chechnya, while speaking over the phone with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the Kremlin said in a statement.

Putin also said the Russian authorities launched an investigation of their own into the disaster but would also cooperate with the Kazakh and Azerbaijani investigator. However, he stopped short of acknowledging Russian responsibility.

Speaking on Saturday, Putin confirmed that Russia's air defense systems were active when the plane attempted to land in Grozny. After failing to reach the airport, the aircraft diverted eastward and ultimately crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, killing 38 passengers. The victims included individuals from Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, with two children among the survivors.

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While the official cause of the crash remains unclear, preliminary evidence points to a Russian anti-aircraft system potentially downing the plane, which Putin failed to mention in his remarks about the incident.

Independent press reports claim the plane was diverted intentionally towards Kazakhstan, in a hope that it would fall in the Caspian Sea and hide the evidence of a missile attack. Video footage from eyewitnesses show the fuselage penetrated by what appeared to be missile shrapnel or debris.

Meanwhile a number of Azerbaijani, Kazakh and Israeli airlines suspended flight to several Russian cities.

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Azerbaijan Airlines said it would halt on 28 December flights to 10 Russian cities - Mineralnye Vody, Sochi, Volgograd, Ufa, Samara, Grozny, Makhachkala, Saratov, Nizhny Novgorod, and Vladikavkaz.

Kazakhstan’s air carrier Qazaq Air temporarily suspended flights between the country’s capital Astana and Yekaterinburg in Russia until 27 January.

The Israeli national airline El Al has cancelled all flights between Tel Aviv and Moscow for a week, after which it would “reassess the situation.”

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