The cause of the crash of Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, is still unknown. The Kremlin has so far been tight-lipped, prompting questions over its messaging.

The U.S. government suggested Friday that Russia may be to blame for this week’s deadly Azerbaijan Airlines crash, echoing experts’ assessment of the tragedy as investigations remain ongoing. Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 was scheduled to travel from Baku,

U.S. and Azerbaijani officials have said weapons fire may have brought down an Azerbaijani airliner that crashed on Wednesday, killing 38 people

An Azerbaijan Airlines statement on Dec. 27 blamed “interference” for the Christmas Day plane crash that killed 38 people.

The Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed experienced "external physical and technical interference," the airline says.

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

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the evidence in the Azerbaijan Airlines crash goes beyond widely circulated images of the wreckage.