Russia's aviation chief said Friday that a Ukrainian drone attack was under way in the region of Chechnya at the time an Azerbaijani airliner attempted to land before diverting to Kazakhstan and crashing there earlier this week.

Azerbaijan Airlines said move was a response to the initial results of an investigation into the crash. The Kremlin said it would not comment while the probe remains ongoing.

The Azerbaijan Airlines flight was on its way from the Azerbaijani capital Baku, to the Russian city of Grozny in Chechnya, when it diverted and crash-landed near Aktau in Kazakhstan, veering hundreds of miles off its planned route.