The statement is the closest officials have come to confirming mounting suspicions that the plane was downed by a Russian air-defense system.

Azerbaijan Airlines attributes the crash of its Embraer 190 in Kazakhstan to external interference, prompting cessation of flights to 10 Russian airpo

The Kremlin has said that the Russian president "apologized for the tragic incident" and expressed his "deep and sincere condolences" to the victims' families.