Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev says he is certain that Russia was responsible for the deadly crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane in Kazakhstan late last month.

Aliyev implicitly criticized the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin, when meeting with the bereaved families of crew members killed in the crash, as well as surviving flight attendants, on Monday.

Aliyev said, "I can state with full certainty that the responsibility for the deaths of Azerbaijani citizens in this tragedy lies with representatives of the Russian Federation," according to Azerbaijan's presidential office.

The plane, with 67 passengers and crew members onboard, was heading for southern Russia when it came down in western Kazakhstan on December 25. Azerbaijani officials say Russian air defense systems were to blame for the crash, which killed 38 people.

Aliyev expressed his distrust of Russian authorities, who initially attributed the crash to a bird strike. He said, "The cover-up of this incident by Russian state agencies and their focus on absurd theories evoke surprise, regret, and rightful indignation."

Azerbaijan, which was part of the former Soviet Union, has maintained friendly ties with Russia.