Survivors from the Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 that went down in Kazakhstan are speaking out for the first time since the tragedy. 29 passengers survived the crash.

By Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn and Nailia Bagirova MOSCOW/BAKU (Reuters) -President Vladimir Putin on Saturday apologised to Azerbaijan's leader for what the Kremlin called a "tragic incident" over Russia in which an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed after Russian air defences were fired against Ukrainian drones.

Vladimir Putin admitted Saturday Russian air defence was working when an Azerbaijani Airlines plane tried to land in Grozny before crashing, breaking the Kremlin's silence as speculation mounted Russia may have accidentally shot the plane.

A passenger jet operated by Azerbaijan Airlines crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, after diverting from an area of southern Russia where Moscow has repeatedly used air defence systems against Ukrainian attack drones.

Vladimir Putin admitted Saturday Russian air defense was working when an Azerbaijani Airlines plane tried to land in Grozny before crashing, while stopping short of claiming responsibility. The Kremlin said Putin apologized to Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev over the “tragic incident” in a phone call,

On Christmas Day, a plane traveling from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Russia, crashed in Kazakhstan, killing over half of its passengers. Theories abound regarding why the plane made an emergency landing near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau.

Thirty-eight passengers and crew died when Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 from the airline’s hub at Baku to Grozny, the capital of Russia‘s Chechnya, crashed short of Aktau airport in Kazakhstan;

Flight attendant Aydan Rahimli described the dramatic events aboard the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that was shot down. The disaster occurred on 25 December in Kazakhstan. Twenty-nine people survived. Flight 8243 of Azerbaijan Airlines from Baku to Grozny ended in tragedy.

Flight attendant Aydan Rahimli described the dramatic events aboard the downed Azerbaijan Airlines plane. The crash occurred on December 25 in Kazakhstan. Twenty-nine people survived. Flight 8243 of Azerbaijan Airlines from Baku to Grozny ended in tragedy.