In a conversation with his Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev, the Russian president described it as “a tragic incident” but did not take direct responsibility for downing the aircraft.

Initial investigations suggest the plane was hit by Russia’s air defence system - which was responding to an Ukrainian drone assault on several cities - before crashing to the ground near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan.

The flight from the Azeri capital Baku was destined for Grozny in Russia’s Chechnya region. At least 38 people were killed, while 29 survived the crash.

"Vladimir Putin apologised for the tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace and once again expressed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured," the Kremlin said in a statement on Sunday, following Putin and Aliyev’s exchange.

"It was noted in the conversation that the Azerbaijani passenger aircraft, which was travelling according to its schedule, repeatedly tried to land at Grozny airport. At that time, Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were being attacked by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, and Russian air defense systems repelled these attacks," the Kremlin said.

The Kremlin noted that the call took place at Putin's request.

Azerbaijan’s presidential office said that Aliyev told the Russian leader the plane had “encountered external physical and technical interference while in Russian airspace, resulting in a complete loss of control.”

“The head of state highlighted that the multiple holes in the aircraft's fuselage, injuries sustained by passengers and crew due to foreign particles penetrating the cabin mid-flight, and testimonies from surviving flight attendants and passengers confirm evidence of external physical and technical interference,” it added in a statement.

Multiple sources have indicated that Moscow’s missiles mistakenly shot down the plane, with U.S. officials commenting on Saturday that they “have seen some early indications that would certainly point to the possibility that this jet was brought down by Russian air defense systems”.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier that he had expressed his condolences in a call with President Aliyev.

"The key priority now is a thorough investigation to provide answers to all questions about what really happened. Russia must provide clear explanations and stop spreading disinformation," he then wrote in a statement on social media platform X.