MOSCOW, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday phoned Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, his counterpart in Kazakhstan, to express his condolences over the loss of life in a plane crash that occurred on Dec. 25 in Kazakhstan, the Kremlin said.

Flight J2-8243, en route from Baku to the Chechen capital Grozny, crash-landed on Wednesday near Aktau in Kazakhstan after diverting from southern Russia, where Ukrainian drones were attacking several cities. At least 38 people were killed.

The Kremlin said that the two presidents had agreed to stay in constant contact over the investigation into the crash. (Reporting by Reuters Editing by Andrew Osborn)