Azerbaijan Airlines cites 'external physical and technical interference' in early findings o jet Kazakhstan jet crash

Azerbaijan Airlines suspended flights to seven Russian cities on Friday in the wake of an Wednesday's plane crash in Kazakhstan.

It comes after allegations that the plane had been downed by a Russian air defense missile, killing most of the passengers on board.

The airline said it was "taking into account the initial results of the investigation into the crash... and taking into account flight safety risks."

News agency Interfax said Azerbaijan Airlines would still run flights to six major Russian cities including Moscow and St Petersburg.

Meanwhile, an Azerbaijan Airlines flight to the southern Russian city of Mineralnie Vody turned back to Baku on Friday after a chunk of Russian airspace was closed, Russia's state-run TASS news agency reported.

Kremlin declines to comment amid investigation

The Kremlin said it was too early to comment on the allegations that a Russian air defense missile was responsible for the Azerbaijan Airlines crash.

"An investigation is underway, and until the conclusions of the investigation, we do not consider we have the right to make any comments and we will not do so," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday.

News outlets including Reuters and the New York Times reported that a Russian missile was likely involved in the crash, citing Azerbaijani security sources close to the investigation.

"No one claims that it was done on purpose. However, taking into account the established facts, Baku expects the Russian side to confess to the shooting down of the Azerbaijani aircraft," a source told Reuters on Thursday.

An official investigation into the crash remains ongoingImage: Meiramgul Kussainova/Anadolu/picture alliance

zc/rc (Reuters, AFP)