Exactly a year ago, on October 31, 2015, the most massive plane crash in Russia in terms of the number of victims occurred. Then in the north of the Sinai Peninsula an A321 plane of the Russian airline Kogalymavia. There were 217 passengers on board, including 24 children, and seven crew members. They all died. Russian authorities have recognized the incident as a terrorist attack, but the international investigation has not yet been completed.
On October 31, an A321 aircraft of the Russian airline Kogalymavia was operating a charter flight from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg. The airliner took off at 5:50 am and disappeared from radar 23 minutes later. On the same day, Egyptian government search teams discovered the wreckage of a destroyed plane near the city of Nehel in the northern Sinai Peninsula. All 224 people on board died, including 219 Russians, four citizens of Ukraine and one native of Belarus.
Causes of the A321 crash
The international investigation, led by Egyptian aviation authorities, is not yet over. Representatives of Russia, France, Germany, Ireland and the USA take part in it.
Western media were the first to report that a terrorist attack could have occurred on board the A321, shortly after the plane crash, citing their sources in the intelligence services and officials. From these publications it followed that the US and British authorities considered the version of a terrorist attack to be the most likely. However, Moscow publicly distanced itself from it for a long time, calling the version of the terrorist attack premature and calling to wait for the official results of the investigation. And only on November 6, a decision was made to suspend air traffic with Egypt until the causes of the A321 crash were clarified and to evacuate the Russians there.
Officially, the FSB terrorist attack that occurred over Sinai only two and a half weeks after the disaster, on November 17. According to the department, an improvised explosive device went off during the flight. Vladimir Putin, at a meeting of the Security Council, find the organizers of the crash “anywhere on the planet” and destroy them.
However, even after these statements, the Egyptian authorities continued to insist that the most likely cause of the disaster was a technical problem. And only in February 2016, the country's President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi admitted that a terrorist attack had occurred on board the A321.
In September, the Kommersant newspaper, citing sources, reported that an international technical commission had established the exact location of the explosion on the plane. According to the publication, experts determined that the terrorists mined the oversized luggage compartment in the tail of the plane, hiding an explosive device between baby strollers and wicker furniture carried by tourists.
Russia and the CIA believe that the explosion on board was organized by Wilayat Sinai (until 2014 - Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis), a cell of the terrorist organization Islamic State (ISIS) banned in Russia. The group claimed responsibility for the downing of A321: On November 18, 2015, the Islamic State's propaganda magazine, Dabiq, published a photo of an improvised explosive device made from a can of Schweppes soda. As stated in the article, this is the device that was activated on board the A321. In August 2016, the Egyptian military reported the murder of Wilayat Sinai leader Abu Duaa al-Ansari, suspected of organizing the terrorist attack.
Scandalous case
Relatives of those killed in the disaster have repeatedly complained about the progress of the investigation and the process of paying compensation. In December, lawyer Igor Trunov, on behalf of 35 relatives, filed a complaint with the Basmanny Court about the inaction of the head of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin. According to the lawyer, it was expressed in the fact that the Investigative Committee ignored two appeals from relatives. In one of them, they asked to be informed of the number of the criminal case, to be recognized as victims and to be acquainted with the investigation materials. Another complaint concerned Ingosstrakh. The appeal alleged that the company fraudulently obtains from relatives of the deceased statements limiting their right to go to court to obtain compensation. Ingosstrakh itself categorically rejected these accusations. And the claim against Bastrykin was rejected.
Consequences
After the crash of the Kogalymavia plane, Russia suspended air traffic with Egypt, and tour operators were prohibited from working in this direction. They have been waiting all year for the resumption of communications with the country, which for many years was one of the main resort destinations for Russians. According to the latest data, this may happen no earlier than December-January.
To resume flights, the Egyptian side needs to fulfill a number of airport security requirements (their full list has not been officially published). During the year, Russia repeatedly sent its specialists to Egypt for inspections at the airports of Cairo, Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada, but each time there were violations. According to sources of the Al-Watan newspaper, quoted by TASS, “a number of Russian structures refuse to discuss the issue of resuming air traffic with Egypt until the results of the official investigation appear.”
With the closure of air traffic, Egypt suffered significant losses. From the collapse of tourism, one of the country’s key industries (more than 11% of GDP until November 2015), Egypt’s budget, according to Reuters, lost more than three billion dollars.
The crash of the Russian airbus and the subsequent cessation of flights to the Arab Republic led to problems for Kogalymavia itself and the associated tour operator Brisco, which was the customer of flight 9268. The case of declaring the carrier bankrupt has been dragging on since the spring of 2015, the next meeting will take place on November 10. In March, Rosaviatsia limited Kogalymavia’s operator’s certificate and deprived it of access to 13 international destinations.
The organizer of the flight, tour operator Brisco, suspended operations on August 2 until it repaid debts to clients and agencies. As reported on the Brisco website, after the closure of flights to Egypt and Turkey, the company suffered “colossal financial and economic losses.”
Exactly two years have passed since the death of 224 people over Sinai. The vast majority of those killed were Russian citizens. The FSB of the Russian Federation, and after it the Egyptian authorities, recognized the tragic incident as a terrorist attack. However, its perpetrators have not yet been found. It remains unclear who ordered this terrible crime.
Exactly two years ago, on October 31, 2015, the most massive plane crash in terms of the number of deaths occurred in the entire history of Russia.
On this day, an Airbus A321-231 airliner of the Russian airline Kogalymavia took off from Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, and headed for St. Petersburg. The crew of the airliner was operating a charter flight and was taking Russian tourists home after a vacation.
The plane climbed calmly along the Gulf of Aqaba and would soon cross the Sinai Peninsula to enter European airspace. However, at the 23rd minute of the flight, communication between ground services and the aircraft was interrupted.
It soon became clear that the Airbus A321-231 crashed to the ground in the central part of the Sinai Peninsula and was completely destroyed.
The wreckage of the aircraft was scattered over 13 km. All 224 people on board the plane were killed.
At the time of the death of the airliner, there were seven crew members and 217 passengers. Of these, four were Ukrainians, one was Belarusian, and the rest were Russian citizens. Among them was Alexander Kopylov, deputy head of Pskov and deputy of the local legislative assembly.
According to the Federal Air Transport Agency, the oldest passenger was 77 years old, and the youngest victim of the tragedy was 10-month-old Darina Gromova.
Shortly before the tragic incident, her mother Tatyana published a photo of the child on a page on the VKontakte social network. The photo shows the girl standing on the windowsill of an airport window with her back to the viewer. She looks at the planes on the ground.
Tatyana Gromova captioned the photo: “The most important passenger.” This photograph was later circulated by many Russian and world media and became a symbol of the Sinai disaster.
Darina's mother and father also died as a result of the plane crash.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as the leaders of many countries in Europe and the world, expressed condolences to the victims. The day after the plane crashed, mourning was declared in Russia.
However, the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo published three cartoons on the topic of the disaster, which caused a negative reaction from the Russian Foreign Ministry and the State Duma. In response, the French Foreign Ministry stated that “in France, journalists freely express their opinions,” while “it does not always coincide with the official position of the French authorities.”
“There were no questions about the car”
Soon after the incident, various versions of what happened began to be put forward.
Almost immediately, the hypothesis that the plane crashed due to a pilot error was dismissed. The crashed Airbus was controlled by experienced pilots, and the crew commander, 48-year-old Valery Nemov, had flown over 12 thousand hours, of which more than 3860 were on the Airbus A321.
However, details of the aircraft’s operation soon became known, and it turned out that it was far from new. It was released in the spring of 1997 and made its first flight on May 9. After this, the aircraft was transferred to the American company International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC), which by May 27 leased it to the Lebanese airline Middle East Airlines (MEA), which had owned it for six years.
On June 2, 2003, already under tail number TC-OAE, the airliner was leased to the Turkish airline Onur Air. This structure later sub-leased the aircraft to Saudi Arabian Airlines, and from July 30 to September 29, 2010 to Syrian Cham Wings Airlines. By the spring of 2012, the TC-OAE board returned to ILFC, and by March 30, 2012, it was leased to the Russian Kogalymavia.
On April 30 of the same 2012, it was bought from ILFC by the Dutch airline AerCap, which re-delivered this airliner to the Russian Kogalymavia. The Russian airline, in turn, has already been operating under the Metrojet brand since May 1, 2012.
During the long service of the aircraft, an unpleasant incident occurred from a safety point of view. On November 16, 2001, he was flying passenger flight ME 306 on the route Beirut - Cairo and during landing at the airport in the Egyptian capital, the pilots raised his nose too high, as a result of which the tail dropped so low that it hit the ground.
None of the 88 people on board the plane (81 passengers and 7 crew members) were injured then, and the airliner itself returned to passenger routes after undergoing repairs. This information was confirmed by representatives of Kagalymavia, assuring that the aircraft passed all the necessary checks and technical tests on time.
On the eve of departure, the ill-fated flight underwent maintenance, and the receiving crew had no questions about the car.
Interrupted message
An investigation into the causes of the tragedy was launched by several large structures from around the world, since Egypt is a very popular tourist destination among citizens of many countries.
The investigation was carried out by the Egyptian Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Russian Interstate Aviation Committee, the French Bureau of Civil Aviation Safety Investigation and Analysis, the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation, the Irish Air Accident Investigation Department, and the US National Transportation Safety Board.
At the same time, in accordance with international law, general management was carried out by Egyptian investigators, since the incident occurred in the airspace of that country. Already on the first of November, the previously found “black boxes” from the lost liner were deciphered.
Meanwhile, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened criminal cases under Articles 263 and 238 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Violation of traffic safety rules and operation of railway, air, sea and inland water transport and the subway” and “Production, storage, transportation or sale of goods and products, execution works or provision of services that do not meet safety requirements").
On November 16, the head of the FSB of the Russian Federation, Alexander Bortnikov, said that the disaster occurred as a result of a terrorist attack - a homemade explosive device with a capacity of up to 1 kg of TNT went off.
This became clear after traces of an explosive not made in Russia were found on the wreckage of the plane and the belongings of passengers.
And the next day, Russian security forces turned to the Russian and international community for assistance in identifying the terrorists. A reward of $50 million has been offered for information leading to the arrest of the criminals.
Egyptian law enforcement officials did not recognize the tragedy as a terrorist attack for some time; they did so only in February 2016.
Be that as it may, already in November 2015, the Russian authorities decided to completely interrupt air traffic with this Arab country until the situation in the field of aviation security is normalized.
At the same time, the remaining Russian tourists at that time were taken out of Egypt upon the end of their tourist packages, but only hand luggage was allowed on board the planes, and luggage was delivered separately, on special flights of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
The UK and German airlines also interrupted flights with the Egyptian state, and France, the Netherlands and Belgium warned their citizens against flying to Sharm el-Sheikh. In addition, Turkish Airlines announced the cancellation of night flights to Sharm el-Sheikh.
Customers not identified
Meanwhile, the victims in the disaster case filed a class action lawsuit against the tour operator, Kogalymavia airline and insurance companies for a total amount of about €1.4 billion. This is the first example of a class action lawsuit for such a serious amount in Russian history.
And although the involvement of Kagalymavia employees in the incident over Sinai is not confirmed by facts, in the spring of 2016, the Federal Air Transport Agency banned domestic and international flights of this airline.
According to the most frequently voiced version, the Sinai branch of the terrorist organization ISIS * “Wilayat Sinai” (both organizations are banned in Russia) is behind the terrorist attack. Its members accepted responsibility for this crime shortly after the fact.
However, there are other points of view. A number of experts believe that the Qatari organization Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (an ISIS cell) could be behind the terrorist attack. The US CIA also announced her trace in the tragedy.
Be that as it may, after the death of the plane, Russian aviation began to intensify air strikes against targets of various Islamist organizations in Syria. For the first time, Russian strategic aviation was involved in raids on the targets of ISIS and other extremists.
However, the names of the specific perpetrators of the terrorist attack have not yet been established.
And on October 28, 2017, a monument to the victims of the disaster was unveiled at the Serafimovskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg.
In addition, among St. Petersburg residents there is an idea to erect a monument to 10-month-old Darina Gromova, which the famous sculptor Zurab Tsereteli has already promised to do for free.
Vladimir Vashchenko
* terrorist group banned in the Russian Federation
Last information:
December 25, 2015 The terrorist attack on board the A321 was carried out using an improvised explosive device based on S-4 plastic explosives. As the Kommersant newspaper reported on Friday, citing its own source close to the investigation, this fact significantly expands the list of potential criminals.
The source said that Russian special services have established the possible nature of the explosive device. C-4 plastic explosive was developed in the USA and is now produced in many countries. Thus, the list of those suspected of participating in the preparation of a terrorist attack will be significantly expanded, which means that the search for them will be more complicated.
11/17/2015 The FSB confirmed the version of the explosion on board the Airbus A321.
Information about this was received by the resource site after a meeting between the director of the FSB and Vladimir Putin. As it became known, in all likelihood, the power of the explosive device detonated on board the Russian passenger airliner that crashed on the Sinai Peninsula was about 1 kilogram of TNT equivalent, however, in reality, we can talk about a much smaller amount of explosives that could serve only the initiator of further destruction of the aircraft in the air.
The cause of the explosion on board the Russian A321 over Sinai was an unknown suitcase, which one of the loaders received from an employee at Sharm el-Sheikh airport. According to Egyptian security sources, the baggage scanning machine was left unattended for some time.
The terrible tragedy that occurred on October 31, 2015, and took the lives of 224 people, is fraught with a lot of questions, and despite the fact that the flight recorders found at the crash site of the Airbus A321 airliner have not yet been deciphered, experts have already advanced far more than one version of why the plane crash could have happened.
Terrorist act
Almost immediately after information appeared about the crash of a passenger airliner of the Kogalymavia airline (Metrojet), versions appeared about a terrorist act that occurred on board the plane. It is extremely difficult to guess who could have carried it out, since there are not so few radical groups around the world, but experts who adhere to this version believe that these could be militants of the Islamic State, whose positions were so mercilessly destroyed in Syria by the Aerospace Forces over the course of a month Russian Federation.
Almost immediately after this version was presented, skeptics appeared, noting that the version of a terrorist act on board an aircraft is unlikely for the reason that in the event of an explosion on board, and it is most likely worth considering precisely these circumstances, very large damage would certainly be discovered, including those affecting both passengers and interior trim. However, it is worth noting the fact that even a small explosion inside the cabin of the aircraft would have been enough to depressurize it, and given the fact that the plane was at a high altitude, with a 99% probability we can say that the plane would have been destroyed.
Destroying an airplane from the ground
One of the first versions to emerge was that the passenger airliner of the domestic airline Kogalymavia could have been destroyed from the ground. This version was discussed in great detail until photographs and videos from the scene of the passenger airliner crash were made public. The presented photos and video materials clearly show that there is no external, or at least visible, damage to the fuselage from being hit by a missile, which minimizes the likelihood of such circumstances occurring, but at the same time does not completely exclude them.
Technical malfunction of the airliner
The most common cause of almost any plane crash is a technical malfunction, and at the moment, this version is followed by the majority of specialists involved in the investigation of a plane crash. At the moment, experts are not willing to say what exactly the nature of the malfunction was, since a variety of versions are possible, however, it is worth assuming that it arose very fleetingly.
Initially, it was assumed that a failed aircraft engine could be to blame for everything, however, it is fair to note the fact that modern airliners are very well insured against falling in the event of failure of one of the engines, since even when using only one power plant, the aircraft can in no way overcome less than 200-300 kilometers.
In addition, taking into account official data, before departure from the Egyptian airport, the passenger airliner of the Kogalymavia company was fully operational, and no technical problems causing concern were previously observed with it.
It is also worth clarifying that in the event of any technical malfunction, the crew of the aircraft first of all informs the air traffic controller, however, according to official data, the pilot of the passenger aircraft did not make any requests or notifications regarding the technical problems that arose on board the aircraft.
Sudden depressurization of the aircraft
The last, very plausible version voiced was the so-called explosive depressurization. Considering the fairly large scatter of debris from a passenger airliner, as well as the rapidity of the process, this version is completely justified; however, the circumstances of the incident remain unknown, since initiating the process of instantaneous depressurization requires either a large hole in the fuselage of a passenger airliner, or a sharp increase in pressure inside the passenger aircraft , which can be caused precisely by the detonation of explosives on board the airliner, which again suggests a version of either a terrorist act, or a version of the deliberate destruction of the plane from the ground.
Experts note that most likely the main cause of the disaster will be named only after decoding the aircraft’s flight recorders, which, although they received some damage, are quite suitable for extracting information and data from them. It is expected that the first information from the flight recorders will be received by experts by the middle of this week.
A Russian passenger plane A321 with 224 passengers and crew on board crashed over the Sinai Peninsula. The largest civil aviation disaster in Russia.
It’s not that the population of the Russian Federation is not accustomed to airliner crashes; no, the civil aviation of the Russian Federation confidently occupies one of the leading places in the world in terms of accidents. However, the current one is the largest case yet.
What do we know for sure? The plane crashed 23 minutes after takeoff. The crew did not tell the dispatchers anything about the equipment failure or any problems. That is, the plane fell suddenly and quickly. Something happened on board that prevented the crew from communicating with the ground. The plane itself has a flight certificate and a relatively acceptable age - 19 years is quite normal for airliners of this class. The plane was flown by an experienced crew.
Doesn't remind you of anything? Reminds me, and very much, of the Boeing crash over Donetsk. He also fell without telling the dispatchers anything.
Based on these data, what can be assumed first of all as a version of the catastrophe over the Sinai? That's right, either there was a terrorist attack on board the A321, or the plane was shot down from the ground.
However, from the very first minute, when information about the disaster was received, announcers, commentators, experts and just people with opinions on Russian TV, surprisingly unanimously tell all sorts of things, except for the version of the most obvious. They say that the plane was used by other airlines - Turkish and Lebanese, that the crew somehow complained about some kind of problem, that there had already been an accident at the Kogalymavia company. What can you argue with - 90% of the planes that fly over the planet have changed airlines, changed hands, been sold and resold, and rented out more than once. On 100% of aircraft, the crews report some kind of malfunction, and so on, this is their job, because if they do not regularly report this, the malfunctions can cause an emergency situation or an accident.
Thus, what we have as explanations on Russian TV is not information about the real causes of the disaster, but a typical cover-up operation. And since we are dealing with a cover operation, it means that, in general, the authorities know this real reason, since it needs to be hidden. Moreover, they understand what happened and why.
Moreover, there is already enough information. Reuters reports:
The Islamic State said on Twitter that it had shot down a Russian plane: "You who kill will be killed."
Here are the details of the plane crash from the BBC:
Journalist Mona El-Zamlout @mounaelzamlout reports the words of local residents that the falling plane was engulfed in smoke and fire.
Apparently the plane exploded or was shot down in mid-air. Why don't they talk about the terrorist attack in Russia? Because the real reason calls into question the feasibility of Russian military actions in Syria? As soon as the plane crashed, the cause of the crash became clear and they immediately issued instructions to the media not to talk about a terrorist attack under any circumstances. Moreover, Egypt, which is dependent on international tourism, is not interested in recognizing a terrorist attack, whether a plane was shot down, or it was blown up by a bomb placed in luggage, since both, it turns out, happened in its area of responsibility for security, which means due to the fault of Egypt. Such information will deal a serious blow to tourism, so the Egyptians will deny the terrorist attack with the tenacity of the Ukrainians.
Another question is that hiding the real reason only aggravates the situation. The strategists who sent aircraft to bomb the Islamists did not think that they would not try to respond. And if so, then the blow can be struck again.
Analytical department of ARI
P.S. When the terrorist attack can no longer be denied, another act of turning everything upside down will begin in the Russian media. The following type of arguments will be used: “You see what terrorists they are, that’s why we started the war with them in Syria.”
Exactly one year ago, a Russian plane crashed over Sinai as a result of a terrorist attack. 224 people died in the plane crash. At the crash site, our country conducted an unprecedented search operation, and all surviving parts of the aircraft were found. The Investigative Committee stated that it will continue the criminal case until all those involved in this terrorist act are identified. On October 31, Russia remembers the victims of this terrible tragedy.
The funeral prayer began at 07:15 - this is the time the plane hit the ground. Nadezhda Volkova lost her son Nikolai in that terrible plane crash. He and his wife Lera flew off on their honeymoon. They were 32, reports.
“I don’t remember how I was driving home. When I arrived, my husband was destroying everything, beating, shouting: “They are no more.” No, you understand?" But I didn’t believe it. And he said to me: “Look, the lists have arrived,” recalls Nadezhda Volkova.
Board A321 of the Kogalymavia company was operating charter flight number 9268 on the route Sharm el-Sheikh - St. Petersburg. 23 minutes after takeoff, the plane disappeared from radar. After another two hours, Egyptian Air Force aircraft discovered debris in the central Sinai Peninsula.
At the St. Petersburg Pulkovo airport, the line on the electronic display all this time was on: arrival at 12:09. Then all the relatives meeting this flight were invited to board the bus and taken away from the television cameras. This is how the morning of October 31, 2015 began. In the evening, people brought flowers to the Arrival terminal.
The plane crash over Sinai killed 224 people, including seven crew members and 25 children. Almost all passengers were residents of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region. The crash of the A321 aircraft was the largest mass death of Russian citizens in a plane crash in the history of world aviation and the largest disaster in the history of Egypt.
An international investigation into the causes of the tragedy is still ongoing. Preliminary results will be announced before the end of the year. Russian news agencies reported this last Thursday with reference to Egyptian media. Representatives of Russia, Egypt, France, Germany, Ireland, the USA, as well as consultants from Airbus Industry are taking part in the investigation.
“There is a general version, which has already become the main one, that terrorists from the Egyptian IS cell are behind the disaster over the Sinai Peninsula ( The organization's activities are prohibited in Russia - editor's note.),” said Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine and director of the Center for Analysis of the Global Arms Trade.
An explosive device was planted in luggage right at Sharm el-Sheikh airport. It went off in the air. The airliner fell from a height of almost 10 thousand meters, and flew in a downward arc, losing altitude, at a speed of 30 meters per second. In Russia, the version of the explosion on board the A321 of an improvised explosive device with a capacity of up to a kilogram of TNT was officially announced on November 16, 2015 at a meeting with the president.
Egyptian authorities have become the latest to officially recognize the downing of the airliner as a terrorist act. The Egyptian president first publicly stated this only in February, four months after the plane crash.
“For Egypt, the recognition of the organization of a terrorist attack of this kind associated with the movement of tourists is a disaster for the tourism sector. In fact, this is what is happening today in Egypt. For a whole year they have been trying to restore the tourist flow, which is the main component of the Egyptian economy,” explained the director of the International Institute of Modern States, political scientist Alexey Martynov.
