Early indications’ suggest Russia shot down an Azerbaijan Airlines flight that crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day, the White House said on Friday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged a role in the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane carrying 67 people, but stopped short of expressing responsibility.

Experts say evidence in the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Kazakhstan points to a possible midair explosion, not an encounter with a flock of birds.

Azerbaijani intelligence has blamed Russia for the crash, with Euronews reporting on intelligence from anonymous Azerbaijani government sources that said the plane was not given permission to land in Russia despite requesting an emergency landing.

Officials in Russia and Kazakhstan are urging people to wait for an investigation into the deadly Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash before assigning blame.

The White House said Friday there were "early indications" that Russian air defenses downed an Azerbaijan Airlines flight in Kazakhstan.

The people on board were nationals from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said the aircraft was directed to Aktau "due to an emergency landing ...

The White House said preliminary evidence suggests that Russia ‘s defense systems shot down a commercial flight originating in Azerbaijan .

Azerbaijan will change the rules for the temporary stay of Russian citizens on its territory in the coming days after Russia announced stricter rules for the stay of foreigners, the Azerbaijan State News Agency reported on Dec.

While some in Azerbaijan - a Russian ally - have called for an apology from Moscow, Kazakhstan, one of Moscow's main allies, has not pointed the finger at Russia. Russian officials had earlier said that Ukrainian drones were attacking Grozny that day.

At least 167 people have been confirmed dead following a tragic crash involving an airplane carrying 175 passengers and six crew members in South Korea. The Jeju Air passenger plane crashed at an airport in the southwestern part of the country.