WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – U.S. officials say Russia could be behind a passenger plane crash in Kazakhstan that left dozens dead Wednesday.
U.S. officials say it looks like the plane was hit by a Russian air defense system, but investigators haven't been able to confirm what happened yet.
Rescuers arrived at the crash site of a passenger plane in Kazakhstan Wednesday.
An Azerbaijani airliner headed to Russia went off course then crashed, killing dozens of the 67 people on board.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences for the victims.
Azerbaijan says it's launched a criminal investigation to figure out what happened.
U.S. officials say there are early signs a Russian anti-aircraft system may have struck the plane.
This comes amid speculation Russia was fending off Ukrainian drone attacks in the area the plane was trying to land.
Ukraine launched drones after Russia attacked Ukraine’s energy grid on Christmas, leaving half a million people without heat.
President Joe Biden says Russia’s holiday attack was quote "outrageous" and vowed to keep sending weapons to help Ukraine, "The United States will continue to work tirelessly to strengthen Ukraine's position in its defense against Russian forces."
President-elect Donald Trump's pick for special envoy to Ukraine and Russia also criticized Russia’s attack.
Retired Lt. General Keith Kellogg posted on X, "Launching large-scale missile and drone attacks on the day of the Lord's birth is wrong."
Russia says any guesses about the cause of the crash would be wrong until officials from Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan finish their investigations.
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