Vladimir Putin has admitted Russia was to blame for the crash of a doomed Azerbaijani plane that killed 38 people on Christmas Day - after earlier denials from Moscow . The Russian president said his country's air defences were targeting a Ukrainian drone when they mistakenly fired near the Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet. He added that two missiles exploded just 33 feet from the plane, calling it a "technical malfunction". Putin's first public admission of responsibility - made during talks