Putin issues apology to Azerbaijani leader regarding plane crash in Kazakhstan

Russian President Vladimir Putin issued an apology on Saturday to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev regarding the plane crash on Christmas day that resulted in 38 people being killed.

"Vladimir Putin apologized for the tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace and once again expressed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured," the Kremlin said in a statement, according to CBS News.

The Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane crashed in western Kazakhstan resulting in 38 people being killed. Twenty-nine people survived, with 11 in critical condition.

Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 was making a trip to the Russian city of Grozny from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku. It diverted its flight path near Grozny, flew across the Caspian Sea, and crashed at an airport near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan.

The Kremlin said that it was firing air defense systems near Grozny in response to Ukrainian drone strikes, but didn't say the plane was hit as a result. 

The Russian military earlier speculated that the crash may have been the result of a bird strike, according to CBS News. President Aliyev said it's too soon to speculate what led to the crash. 

However, a U.S. official told the outlet that a Russian anti-aircraft system might have hit the plane while it was flying in an area where Russian and Ukrainian forces have been trading drone and rocket fire for months.