Moscow: The Kremlin on Saturday admitted to Azerbaijan that Russian missiles were hitting over Grozny airport in response to a Ukrainian drone attack on Wednesday but stopped short of saying that its rockets hit the plane that crashed with 62 onboard.

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 Kremlin urged restraint on Thursday in speculating about the cause of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Kazakhstan that killed 38 of the 67 passengers on board. "An investigation is currently under way;