Shooting down Tu 154 over the Black Sea. Disaster in the sky over the Black Sea: Ukraine paid the money, but did not admit guilt

The death of a Boeing passenger plane over Donbass in the summer of 2014 was not the first time a passenger airliner was destroyed by air defense systems. The most notorious of these disasters were the death of a South Korean Boeing, shot down by a Soviet fighter over the Strait of Tartary in 1983, and the destruction by the US military of an Iranian A-300 airliner over the Persian Gulf in 1988.

In the shadow of these cases remains the tragedy that occurred during the period when " cold war“We had already forgotten, but a new round of confrontation was still ahead.

In the fall of 2001, immediately after the September 11 terrorist attacks, the world seemed to unite in a single impulse to fight international terrorism. The events that took place in the skies over the Black Sea on October 4, 2001, were also initially perceived as an attack by extremists. However, as it was later established, they had a completely different nature.

On the morning of October 4, 2001, from International airport named after David Ben-Gurion, a Tu-154M with tail number RA-85693 took off in Israel. The plane belonged to Russian airline"Siberia", operated flight SBI 1812 on the route Tel Aviv - Novosibirsk. There were 66 passengers and 12 crew members on board.

The flight went smoothly until 13:45 Moscow time. At this moment, the Tu-154 disappeared from the radar screens. The plane was at an altitude of 11,000 meters, approximately 200 kilometers southwest of Sochi.

Almost immediately, dispatchers received a message from an Armavia An-24 located in the same area. The pilot reported that he observed a bright flash at a higher level.

“There is no reason not to trust the Ukrainian side”

After this, there was practically no doubt that a disaster had occurred. Rescue ships went to the site of the alleged plane crash in the Black Sea, as well as planes from the Ministry of Defense and the Federal Border Service.

Wreckage of the Tu-154 and bodies were found on the surface of the water dead people. Wherein most of aircraft structures, as well as the remains of the victims, sank to the bottom.

In the place where the Russian plane crashed, the depth of the Black Sea exceeds 2000 meters, and the bottom is heavily silted. In the future, this fact will play an important role in this story.

By the time of the Tu-154 crash, less than a month had passed since the terrorist attack on New York. In addition, the plane was flying from Tel Aviv, so a theory immediately arose about a bomb on board.

Unlike the story that happened in 2014, in 2001 the United States did not seek to classify the data it had about the disaster.

Thanks to the leak of this information to the media, within a few hours US television companies reported sensational information: the Russian airliner was apparently shot down by a Ukrainian S-200 air defense missile launched during a military exercise.

Initially, the Russian side, relying on information received from Kyiv, denied such a possibility.

“Firstly, all necessary services in Ukraine were notified in advance. Secondly, the weapons that were used at that time, according to tactical and technical data, could not reach the air corridors in which our aircraft was located... In any case, there is no reason not to trust the Ukrainian side,” he said on the day of the disaster Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Where did you go?!”

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, in turn, confirmed that training firing of anti-aircraft systems was indeed carried out at the training ground at Cape Opuk, during which 23 missiles were fired. Representatives of Russia and other states attended the exercises. It was confirmed that the S-200 complex was also used, but it was argued that it could not hit the Siberia Airlines Tu-154.

However, already on October 5 Prime Minister of Ukraine Anatoly Kinakh stated that the version of a missile hitting the plane “has a right to exist.”

Israeli experts also worked together with Russian specialists. Particular attention was drawn to the data recorded by the tape recorder of the automated control center air traffic"Arrow".

At 13:45, the tape recorder recorded a signal corresponding to the crew’s access to external communication, accompanied by an emotional cry. Over the next few seconds, the external communication button was pressed several more times, due to which noise and screams on board were recorded. We were also able to make out the phrase “Where did you go?!”, shouted by one of the pilots.

On October 9, a representative of the commission investigating the disaster stated: an analysis of the holes in the fuselage showed that the plane could have been hit by a missile from the S-200 surface-to-air air defense system, since the size and shape of the holes are quite consistent with the shrapnel of the high-explosive fragmentation warhead of the missile of this particular complex .

"We are not the first and we are not the last"

At this point, rescuers reported that it was unlikely that it would be possible to lift the main part of the fuselage from the bottom - near the silted bottom at a depth of two kilometers, visibility was practically zero, and it was almost impossible to carry out work.

October 10 Deputy Prosecutor General Sergei Fridinsky stated that a forensic examination of the bodies raised from the water showed that all victims died from barotrauma. This meant that the airliner quickly collapsed at high altitude. The presence of carbon monoxide in the blood of the victims indicated that a fire had broken out on board.

The totality of the facts left no doubt - the Tu-154 was destroyed by an anti-aircraft missile.

On the same day, journalists asked President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma, whether he agrees with the conclusions of Russian experts. The President replied that he would accept the conclusions that were finally approved by the joint working group.

Kuchma did not stop there and uttered words that went down in history: “Look what is happening around the world, in Europe... we are not the first and we are not the last, there is no need to make a tragedy out of this. Errors happen everywhere, and not only on this scale, but on a much larger, planetary scale. If we do not lower ourselves below the civilized level, everything will be fine. And if we pour a bucket of dirt on ourselves, then you’re welcome.”

The words of the President of Ukraine caused, to put it mildly, misunderstanding. The press service of the Israeli Prime Minister issued the following response: “When the person killed is not a representative of your people, then it is probably possible to make such academic conclusions. 78 people died, most of whom were Israelis - for us this is the greatest tragedy."

Erroneous "backlight"

The final conclusion of the Interstate Aviation Committee stated that the plane was unintentionally shot down by a Ukrainian S-200 anti-aircraft missile launched during military exercises in Crimea.

The S-200 anti-aircraft missile system uses a semi-active guidance system, when the radiation source is a powerful ground-based radar (“target illumination”) and the missile is guided by the signal reflected from the target.

During the exercises on October 4, 2001, the Ty-154 aircraft accidentally found itself in the center of the intended firing sector of a training target and had a radial speed close to it, as a result of which it was detected by the S-200 radar and accepted as a training target.

The operator of the S-200 complex, working in the presence of high-ranking officers from several countries, became nervous and instead of an inconspicuous training target, he “highlighted” the passenger Tu-154. At the same time, the airliner found itself in an area that was not declared prohibited during the shooting and in which the S-200 missile, according to its characteristics, could hit the target.

In twenty days Minister of Defense of Ukraine Alexander Kuzmuk was dismissed. A number of other Ukrainian generals and colonels were dismissed from service or demoted in rank, but there was no official connection between these personnel decisions and the death of the Russian airliner.

Unlike the investigation into the death of flight MH-17 over the Donbass, the investigation into the Tu-154 crash over the Black Sea did not need to show “cartoons” and dubious photos from the Internet as evidence. According to experts, the collected data was quite enough to win the case against Ukraine in an international court.

Compensation without admission of guilt

However, at that time, the top leadership of Russia considered that the matter needed to be settled amicably. Moreover, Ukraine expressed an open desire for this.

On December 26, 2003, Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement on the settlement of claims, according to which $7.8 million was transferred to pay the relatives of the deceased Russian passengers. Ukraine signed a similar agreement with Israel, which was paid $7.5 million.

Payment of compensation was carried out ex gratia, that is, without recognition of legal liability. Thus, Israel and Russia agreed that Ukraine would save face by not officially admitting guilt for the destruction of the Tu-154.

In September 2004, the General Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine closed the criminal case into the crash, since the investigation did not establish objective data that would reliably indicate that the Tu-154 was shot down by an S-200 missile launched during an exercise by the Ukrainian air defense forces.

The tactics of the Ukrainian side are as follows: since the main part of the plane remained at the bottom of the Black Sea, then the fact of the destruction of the plane should be considered proven Ukrainian missile Air defense is not allowed. But it is too late to make claims against Ukraine at the state level - the issue was resolved “amicably” back in 2003.

It's Putin's fault

Such interstate agreements did not suit many relatives of the victims. Some considered the compensation insufficient, while others generally believed that it was not a matter of money, but of punishing the perpetrators.

Especially for such persistent ones, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine ordered an examination in 2008, which declared the IAC’s conclusions unfounded. According to Ukrainian experts, the S-200 complex could not shoot down the Tu-154. Experts did not rule out that the source of damage to the aircraft could have been located both outside and inside the airliner, in particular, it could have been an explosive device placed “between the ceiling of the interior of the aircraft” and its outer shell.

Based on this conclusion, in 2011, the Economic Court of Kyiv rejected a claim for $15 million filed by Siberia Airlines against the Ministry of Defense and the State Treasury of Ukraine.

But that's not all. In the early 2010s, “investigations” appeared in the Ukrainian media, the authors of which claimed that there was an air defense error, but the culprits were not the Ukrainian, but the Russian military.

This version began to be circulated especially actively after February 2014, and especially after the death of the Boeing over Donbass.

According to this version, the Tu-154 was allegedly shot down by the S-300 complex belonging to the Russian army. After this, according to supporters of this theory, Russian President Vladimir Putin secretly agreed with the head of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma that the Ukrainian side would “take the blame upon itself” for certain financial preferences.

Adherents of this version rely on the decision of Ukrainian courts, which is based on the conclusions of Ukrainian experts.

All this could have been avoided if Russia in the early 2000s had not harbored illusions about maintaining good neighborly relations with Ukraine, for the sake of which, in fact, the agreement “On the Settlement of the Claim” was concluded in 2003. But what's done is done.

Most of those who lost loved ones on October 4, 2001 cannot come to their graves - the resting place for passengers and crew members of the Tu-154 became the bottom of the Black Sea. And for the past decade and a half, Ukrainian “experts”, journalists and politicians have been mocking the memory of the victims. But, on the advice of President Kuchma, “there is no need to make a tragedy out of this.”

How the Ukrainians lied about being shot down 13 years ago over the Black Sea Russian plane Tu-154

In 2001, the Ukrainian military shot down a Russian Tu-154, killing 78 people

On October 4, 2001, a Tu-154M passenger plane of Siberia Airlines crashed over the Black Sea on flight 1812 Tel Aviv - Novosibirsk. There were 66 passengers and 12 crew members on board, all of whom died. The Interstate Aviation Committee came to the conclusion that at an altitude of 11 thousand meters the plane was shot down by a Ukrainian S-200 anti-aircraft missile.

On October 4, 2001, a Tu-154M plane of the Russian Siberia Airlines took off from Tel Aviv. There were 66 passengers on board, including 51 Israeli citizens and 15 Russians, and 12 crew members.

When the plane passed over the Black Sea at an altitude of 11,100 meters, it was shot down.

An investigation conducted by the Interstate Aviation Committee showed that the crash was caused by a hit from a Ukrainian S-200 anti-aircraft missile. At this time, military exercises were taking place on the Crimean peninsula. Presumably, the disaster was caused by an error by the operator of the anti-aircraft missile system, who incorrectly identified the target.

Ground services recorded the screams of the crew members at the time of the disaster, including the phrase “... anywhere...”. During the investigation, an analysis of holes in the fuselage was carried out, which showed that it was damaged from the outside. After the tragedy, almost the entire leadership of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine resigned, including Minister Alexander Kuzmuk.

Despite all the evidence received, the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine closed the criminal case, and in January 2011, the Kiev Court of Appeal determined that investigators of the Interstate Aviation Committee failed to prove that the plane was shot down by a Ukrainian missile.

On October 4, 2001, a Tu-154 plane belonging to the Russian airline Siberia exploded at an altitude of 11,000 m and crashed into the Black Sea. There were 66 passengers and 11 crew members on board the car, which was flying from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk.

The Tu-154 aircraft of Siberia Airlines (tail number 85639) made regular flight No. 1812 on the route Tel Aviv - Novosibirsk. The last time the plane made contact was at 13.44, after which it disappeared from radar screens. About three minutes later, Garik Oganesyan, the commander of the An-24 aircraft flying on a parallel course with the Tu-154, reported to the controllers that “a powerful explosion occurred to his left, after which the unknown aircraft lost control and fell into the sea.” True, there are many strange things in his testimony. The Antonov flew below the Tupolev by at least 5-6 km. Consequently, Oganesyan could not observe the behavior of his neighbor from above, much less the explosion on board. Most likely, the Armenian pilot, with his peripheral vision, noticed already falling fragments of the Tu-154 and an explosion upon impact with the water.

After this, the dispatcher’s console received a message from the pilot of another Tu-154 (also flying from Tel Aviv). According to the crew commander, 180 km southwest of Sochi, he saw aircraft debris floating in the sea. The exact coordinates of the crash site are 42 degrees 11 minutes north latitude and 37 degrees 37 minutes east longitude.

After a short preparation, several helicopters and four rescue ships went there. When they arrived at the scene of the tragedy, the wreckage of the plane, the personal belongings of the passengers and the bodies of the dead were floating on the surface of the sea. No one survived this disaster.

Representatives of Siberia Airlines reported that among the 66 passengers, only 15 people are Russian citizens, the rest are Israelis. Deputy General Director of the Sibir company Viktor Alekseev also flew on this flight.

The cause of the tragedy has not yet become known, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has already suggested that a terrorist attack was committed. According to him, “taking into account the latest events in the world, the version of the terrorist attack is being worked out as a matter of priority.” He appointed Secretary of the Russian Security Council Vladimir Rushailo as chairman of the commission to investigate the causes of the disaster. The main version, as mentioned above, is a terrorist attack on board an airplane.

This version was categorically rejected by representatives of the customs service at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel, who claimed that all passengers who boarded the Tu-154 plane went through the most severe customs control and no one could simply carry explosives onto the plane. Taught by bitter experience, they are very strict about security measures (the Israeli government spends about $100 million on these measures per year). Everyone flying out of the country is required to undergo an individual interview with representatives of the Israeli Security Service. The conversation is conducted in Russian or English language right at the airport, in the airline ticket registration section. A passenger flying out of the country must provide security representatives with evidence of where he lived and what he did in Israel. Passengers' luggage is also inspected in a special way. All bags go through decompression chambers. If they contain explosives, they explode right into them.

Already strict controls were strengthened after the tragic events in New York in September 2001. “We are confident that there were no explosives on board the plane; Most likely, the cause of the tragedy was technical problems on board the plane,” customs officials said.

At the same time, representatives of the Sibir company noted that the deceased Tu-154 was in good technical condition: in operation since 1991, total flight time was 16,703 hours, the date of the last major overhaul was December 1999, flight time after a major overhaul was 3,518 hours. The company called the possibility of technical problems on board the plane unlikely.

It was suggested that the tragedy occurred as a result of the explosion of one of the airliner’s three engines. This development of events usually results from mechanical destruction of engine elements: gas turbine disks or their shafts crack and then burst at the seams. In this case, the aircraft fuselage rarely collapses in one or two seconds. Experienced pilots immediately remembered several similar tragedies on Tu-22 bombers in the 60s and 70s. True, after those incidents, the “motor” design bureaus brought their creations to fruition, and similar misfortunes were not observed in the future.

Fuel tanks and pipelines pose a certain danger to any aircraft. The tanks are located in the fuselage, in the lower part, and in the “root” parts of the wings. The ignition of fuel vapor from the slightest spark could well destroy the airliner. On some vehicles, to avoid this, neutral gas is specially supplied to the tanks as they are emptied - if the crew suspects problems with the electric drive. However, if fuel had caught fire on board the Siberian airliner, the pilots would have known about it (due to the alarm going off) and would have had time to report the emergency to the dispatcher. But there are exceptions, for example, the explosion of an American Boeing 747 in August 1996, taking off from New York to Paris. The plane died 15 minutes into its flight over the Atlantic, collapsing instantly. The pilots did not have time to send a distress signal, and American investigators established the truth only a year later, having lifted 90 percent of the remains of the liner from the ocean, from a depth of 100 meters.

Among the “suspects” was the chassis. Recently, it was on this type of aircraft that “wheel” incidents occurred, when the landing gear was retracted or fell out at the most inopportune moment. Experts are unanimous: the unauthorized release of even one of the two landing gear at an altitude of 10-11 km inevitably leads to the destruction of first the wing, and then the entire aircraft in just 5-10 seconds.

The Associated Press suggested that the Tu-154 was shot down by terrorists. However, this version was considered unlikely. The plane was flying at an altitude of 11,000 m. None of the then existing portable anti-aircraft missile systems (MANPADS) could hit targets at such altitudes. Thus, the flight range of the American Stinger MANPADS missile is 5500 m, and the maximum altitude is 4800 m. The maximum range of the domestic Strela and Igla MANPADS is 6000 m at an altitude of 5500 m. To shoot down an aircraft flying at an altitude of 11 km, terrorists a system would be needed to operate at medium or high altitudes, having a self-propelled chassis and quite large dimensions.

Another version seemed no less exotic. The tragedy coincided with large-scale exercises of the Ukrainian armed forces that took place at the Chauda military training ground in the Feodosia region. They practiced combat training missions to detect and destroy air targets of a mock enemy with anti-aircraft systems, and carried out flights of air defense aircraft. In particular, combat launches of S-200 anti-aircraft missile systems were carried out.

The Ukrainian military announced the start of these exercises in advance. According to practice accepted throughout the world, at least two weeks before combat operations, all interested departments are notified of the closure of the firing area to the passage of civil and military aircraft. The exercise area itself is located at least 30 km from international and domestic airlines. But usually no one gives a 100% guarantee of safety in such cases.

Missile launches in Ukraine were not carried out very often due to a lack of fuel and ammunition. Missiles that had long expired were themselves fraught with considerable danger. Experts did not exclude the possibility of failures in their control, including problems with self-destructors, which should be activated if the missiles deviate from the training target.

The Ukrainian side indignantly rejected the assumption that the passenger plane was shot down by mistake by one of these missiles. And Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he ruled out the possibility that the Tu-154 plane was shot down by Ukrainian air defense forces. The Russian Minister of Defense shared the same opinion. The version about the impossibility of this was regularly repeated even despite the fact that the Ukrainian prime minister himself admitted that such a possibility might exist.

However, two days later, the Pentagon confirmed that its satellite tracking devices had detected missile launches in the area where the plane crashed. Then the Russian Defense Minister announced that President Putin was not satisfied with the data from the Ukrainian side and requested more detailed information. Here the question cannot help but arise: on the basis of what information and, most importantly, who provided it, did President Putin make his statement that the plane could not have been shot down by a “stray” Ukrainian missile.

The plane fell far into the sea. And although its fragments from those that remained on the surface were raised, the main part of them, including the “black boxes,” lay at a depth of about 2000 m. And the bottom was covered with a 6-meter layer of silt. The Russian deep-sea vehicle Triton was working at the scene of the disaster. The analysis of the debris was carried out in laboratories near Moscow.

Gradually, the “missile version” of the death of the Tu-154 is becoming the main one. Small round holes were found in the wreckage of the plane, raised from the bottom. The S-200 missile is equipped with thousands of steel balls, which are ejected when approaching the target. There were also characteristic traces on the bodies recovered from the Black Sea dead passengers airliner.

Ukraine continued to insist on its non-involvement in the death of the Russian airliner - the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian air defense, Vladimir Tkachev, spoke about this. According to him, objective control data indicate the non-involvement of the air defense troops of the armed forces of Ukraine in the tragic incident. It is known that of the 23 missiles launched, 21 hit the target, one self-destructed, and another landed by parachute. Tkachev showed journalists maps of Ukrainian air defense exercises depicting the flight path of missiles.

It should be recalled here that during the firing exercises of the Ukrainian armed forces in Crimea, S-200 anti-missile systems were used, including modernized SA-5 missiles. Their range is 300 km.

The Tu-154 plane exploded at 13.45.17. The launch from the S-200 complex recorded by the Americans was noted at 13.41. The difference is precisely the flight time of the rocket. Moreover, as reported by the American research organization Global Security, the Americans received a recording of radio interception of negotiations in the area of ​​Ukrainian exercises in Crimea. So, one of the soldiers on it allegedly exclaimed: “Where did this target come from?!”

Western newspapers have already directly written that given the state in which the Ukrainian army is, the lack of funding, and the lack of qualified officers, anything is possible.

Mathematical modeling based on data provided by Ukraine also showed that the Tu-154 aircraft could have been shot down by the S-200 air defense system during exercises in Crimea. Based on calculations carried out on the basis of telemetric parameters of the launch of missiles of the S-200 complexes, the tragedy could have occurred as a result of the fact that the radar trail from the Tu-154 located at a distance of 245 km drowned out the radio echo from the unmanned Reis-D target at which the shooting was carried out . As a result, the missile was automatically retargeted.

After much hesitation, the Ukrainian authorities finally admitted that the plane flying on the Tel Aviv-Novosibirsk route on October 4 was shot down as a result of an erroneous missile hit. This is how the evolution of the views of official Kyiv took place.

October 4, 2001. The Ukrainian authorities deny the very fact of the exercises, and then claim that the firing was carried out by missiles without warheads. Towards evening, the Ukrainian military had already delved into the details: according to them, the maximum flight range of the missiles is only 5,000 m and it is impossible to hit the plane with them. However, according to American media reports, the Pentagon recorded the launch of two surface-to-air missiles during an exercise that could have shot down the plane.

October 6. President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma: “Neither Ukraine, nor Ukrainians, nor me personally are happy with what is happening around this tragedy. The azimuth of the shooting did not coincide at all with the location of the Tu-154.”

October 6. Leonid Kuchma: “Technically this is impossible, although theoretically everything is possible... The design and production of the rocket are Russian.”

October 10. Leonid Kuchma: “There is no need to make a tragedy out of this. This happens not only in Ukraine. Look around: in the world, in Europe, we are not the first and we are not the last, mistakes are found everywhere.”

Nov. 1. Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Yevgeny Marchuk: “In any case, these are only preliminary results that are subject to study and modeling.”

November 4, 2001. Ukrainian authorities have finally admitted that a Russian Tu-154 may have been shot down by a Ukrainian missile during a training exercise. This step seriously damaged the prestige of Ukraine and its army, although it did not cause an internal political storm. Leonid Kuchma did not dismiss the Minister of Defense, calling not to make a tragedy out of what had happened. Disputes about the amount of compensation for the families of the victims continued for a long time.

So, a chain of fatal accidents (the deviation of the airliner from the main route towards the Crimean Peninsula and the possibility of a missile from the S-200 anti-aircraft missile system “hunting” for an unplanned target) led to a plane crash.

Many aviation experts Today we recalled another case of the death of an aircraft over Ukraine - this happened almost 13 years ago. Dmitry Kochetkov will remind you of the details.
There were 78 people on board the Russian Sibir Airlines plane flying on October 4, 2001 from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk. They all died. Tu-154 was shot down over the Black Sea by a Ukrainian missile at an altitude of 11 thousand meters. At that time, air defense exercises were taking place in Crimea and the S-200 complex was being fired. The President of Ukraine refused to admit that the plane was fired upon: “Today we can say, you see, Russian developers theoretically say that this is possible. But they still probably don’t name many accompanying technical parameters that need to be sorted out.”
The Ukrainian military also made excuses as best they could. At first they said that the missiles couldn’t fly that far, and the firing was canceled altogether. And then they claimed that the S-200 complex nevertheless fired, but the missile fell into the sea.

But when identifying the items, experts and relatives of the victims discovered that both the fuselage and luggage were riddled with shrapnel. The fact is that the S-200 air defense missile is stuffed with steel balls and explodes a few meters from the target.
- They were all pierced with these round holes, balls. And they gave us a recording of the last minutes of the crew’s life, and there you can hear the noise of an airplane and someone screamed, “It seems to us that these are ours. Where did it go?”
But the Ukrainian authorities concluded their investigation with a strange conclusion: “Nothing can be proven, because the missile itself has not been found.”
- It was necessary to find fragments of the rocket itself. But the metal balls found did not allow experts to conclude that they belonged to our rocket.
The Ukrainian court closed the criminal case into the disaster due to the lack of corpus delicti. As the President of Ukraine said then, there is no need to make a tragedy out of a mistake.
- If the theory of a missile hit is confirmed, how much will Ukraine’s reputation suffer?
- Look around the world, in Europe, including at the latest events. Are we the first or are we the last? There is no need to make a tragedy out of this. If there is any mistake, mistakes happen everywhere and not only on this scale, but also on a much larger, planetary scale.
Without officially admitting its guilt, Ukraine nevertheless agreed to pay compensation to the families of the victims. A settlement agreement was signed. True, of the four points of the document, Kyiv fulfilled only one.
- Apologies, punishment of those responsible, payment of compensation. There were 4 points. Now, regarding compensation, it was actually a very nasty, dirty trade.
Every year in October, there are many flowers at the memorial to the victims of the plane crash in Novosibirsk, and in Sochi, relatives of the victims go out to sea to the crash site and launch wreaths and soft toys into the water. Among the passengers of the downed Tu-154 were children.

Board RA-85693

Now in the TOP there is a post about this tragedy from the point of view of a clumsy “conspiracy theory”. But I caught myself thinking that I only know about it in general terms, although this was actually quite recently. Let's try to collect more real information about this tragedy, which is known today.

Flight 1812 of Siberia Airlines Tel Aviv - Novosibirsk was tragically interrupted on October 4, 2001. The circumstances of the death of the liner are not fully known even now - 15 years after the disaster.

The passenger plane was flying from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk, with 78 people on board. There was no one left alive. An examination of the wreckage showed that the plane was shot down by a Ukrainian S-200 anti-aircraft missile. However, the courts in Ukraine refused to admit the guilt of their military. The specific culprits of the tragedy have not been identified.

That's how it was...

WITNESSES IN THE SKY

It was Siberia Airlines flight SBI1812; on October 4, 2001, the plane took off from Israeli airport Ben-Gurion. Communication with the airliner was lost at 13.45 Moscow time. The last words that the dispatchers could make out among the shouts were: “Where did it go?” The plane was hit by an S-200 air defense missile fired by the Ukrainian military during exercises in Crimea. The plane began to fall apart right in the air. This happened in front of the pilots and passengers of an An-24 flying nearby from Simferopol to Yerevan. This is what his pilot David Sargasyan told Komsomolskaya Pravda:

— We were flying at an altitude of 6300 meters. The Russian “carcass” was at an altitude of 11 kilometers, about 20 kilometers from us. You could see it if you wanted. None of us detected the exact moment of the explosion, because we had to monitor our instruments. Suddenly someone shouted that there was a burning object ahead. As it turned out later, it was the wreckage of an airplane. We did not have the right to leave the given height, and we had to make a detour of several kilometers, flying around the scene of the disaster. We also had no right to linger, according to the instructions. All that remained was to report the incident to the dispatcher and continue the flight.

“WE ARE NOT THE FIRST AND WE ARE NOT THE LAST”

On October 10, Deputy Prosecutor General Sergei Fridinsky stated that a forensic medical examination of the bodies raised from the water showed that all victims died from barotrauma. This meant that the airliner quickly collapsed at high altitude. The presence of carbon monoxide in the blood of the victims indicated that a fire had broken out on board.
The totality of the facts left no doubt - the Tu-154 was destroyed by an anti-aircraft missile.

On the same day, journalists asked Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma whether he agreed with the conclusions of Russian experts. The President replied that he would accept the conclusions that were finally approved by the joint working group.

Kuchma did not stop there and uttered words that went down in history: “Look what is happening around the world, in Europe... we are not the first and we are not the last, there is no need to make a tragedy out of this. Errors happen everywhere, and not only on this scale, but on a much larger, planetary scale. If we do not lower ourselves below the civilized level, everything will be fine. And if we pour a bucket of dirt on ourselves, then you’re welcome.”

The words of the President of Ukraine caused, to put it mildly, misunderstanding. The press service of the Israeli Prime Minister issued the following response: “When the person killed is not a representative of your people, then it is probably possible to make such academic conclusions. 78 people died, most of whom were Israelis - for us this is the greatest tragedy."

VOLUNTARY PAYMENTS OF MILLIONS

An international scandal broke out. In Russia, a criminal case was immediately opened under the article “Terrorism,” but already on October 16, all materials were transferred to the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine. They reluctantly and with reservations admitted that their S-200 missile may have deviated from its target during an exercise and hit a Russian plane. Or perhaps not. The archives of our newspaper preserve the words of the commander-in-chief of the air defense of Ukraine Vladimir Tkachev:

“Expert estimates and most factors indicate that it could be our missile.”

Ukraine paid monetary compensation under the 2003 agreement “On the Settlement of Claims”: $7.5 million to the relatives of the dead Israelis and 7.8 million to the relatives of the dead Russians. However, the payments were made on Ex Gratia terms, that is, voluntary, without any legal liability. Officially, Square never admitted her guilt. And all the claims of Siberia Airlines were rejected by the Ukrainian court.

“For unknown reasons, the investigation did not continue in international courts, which casts a shadow on the international community. Today we ask the United Nations to correct this situation. The Ukrainian military most likely made a technical error. But the behavior of the highest officials of Ukraine in those years, who directly covered up a terrible crime, causes consternation in any civilized person. The families of the victims will not get their loved ones back, but the impunity of high-level officials who committed and deny this crime is a dangerous precedent for the whole world in general and for Ukraine itself in particular, says the petition of those who lost relatives over the Black Sea 15 years ago.

Just a few hours after the crash, a US administration representative confidently stated that the passenger plane was destroyed by shots from outside - or rather, shot down by an air defense missile. As CNN reported, “there is convincing evidence that the Tu-154 plane was hit by a Ukrainian S-200 anti-aircraft missile fired during a military exercise.” And since Kiev is not used to arguing with the opinion of Washington, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine soon officially confirmed the fact of conducting firing training at the training ground of the 31st research center Black Sea Fleet Russian Federation at the training ground near Cape Opuk.

There, in the presence of military attaches of seven foreign states at once, the S-200, S-300, S-125 anti-aircraft missile systems, as well as the Buk and Kub complexes, were demonstrably tested. In addition, the most combat-ready Ukrainian warships “Sagaidachny” and “Lutsk”, which fired from the Osa anti-aircraft missile system, took part in the exercises. All launches were carried out against an unmanned reconnaissance aircraft Tu-143, known under the code name “Flight” target, towards which 23 combat missiles of various types were fired as usual. Moreover, in addition to the Ukrainian military, Russian military specialists serving the range took part in the shooting - because then, fifteen years ago, this peaceful cooperation between the armed forces of Russia and Ukraine was the most common thing. Especially in the Crimea, where joint exercises were a fairly common practice. The investigation into the causes of the tragedy took literally several days. Already on October 9, after studying the holes in the fuselage of the downed plane, it became clear that it was hit by a missile from the S-200 Surface-to-Air air defense system. On October 12, the press secretary of the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Konstantin Khivrenko, commenting on the preliminary results of the investigation into the incident, publicly admitted that the cause of the death of the Tu-154 could have been a Ukrainian missile.

USA sees everything

Unlike the story that happened in 2014, in 2001 the United States did not seek to classify the data it had about the disaster.

Thanks to the leak of this information to the media, within a few hours US television companies reported sensational information: the Russian airliner was apparently shot down by a Ukrainian S-200 air defense missile launched during a military exercise.

Initially, the Russian side, relying on information received from Kyiv, denied such a possibility.

“Firstly, all necessary services in Ukraine were notified in advance. Secondly, the weapons that were used at that time, according to tactical and technical data, could not reach the air corridors in which our aircraft was located... In any case, there is no reason not to trust the Ukrainian side,” the president said on the day of the disaster Russia Vladimir Putin.

However, already on October 5, Ukrainian Prime Minister Anatoly Kinakh said that the version of a missile hitting the plane “has a right to exist.”

Israeli experts also worked together with Russian specialists. Particular attention was drawn to the data recorded by the tape recorder of the Strela automated air traffic control center.

At 13:45, the tape recorder recorded a signal corresponding to the crew’s access to external communication, accompanied by an emotional cry. Over the next few seconds, the external communication button was pressed several more times, due to which noise and screams on board were recorded. We were also able to make out the phrase “Where did you go?!”, shouted by one of the pilots.

Unlike the investigation into the death of flight MH-17 over the Donbass, the investigation into the Tu-154 crash over the Black Sea did not need to show “cartoons” and dubious photos from the Internet as evidence. According to experts, the collected data was quite enough to win the case against Ukraine in an international court.

MODERN PARALLELS: TU AND BOEING

“When our plane was shot down, it was clear from the very beginning whose hands it was,” says Boris Kalinovsky, whose father died in the Tu-154. — The American State Department announced in the very first hours that it had detected how a Ukrainian missile collided with the airliner. That is, the technology allows you to see what happened in the air. We spent a long time proving the guilt of the Ukrainian army in the Kyiv courts. But all they achieved was money, 200 thousand dollars per victim. And then the Ukrainian side positioned this not as compensation, but as humanitarian aid. We had in our hands the conclusions of experts, the conclusions of the MAK, but suddenly Kyiv provided the conclusions of its Ukrainian Institute of Forensic Expertise, which no one had ever heard of before, and it said that the military were innocent. Of course, it was a falsification. But the case was lost. For some reason, Siberia Airlines did not appeal the decision to the European Court - they say that it was under pressure from officials, because there were difficult relations between Russia and Ukraine at that time related to the situation with oil and gas.

Relatives of the victims admit that the story of the Tu-154 is partly reminiscent of the 2014 plane crash with a Malaysian Boeing in the Donetsk region.

“The situation repeated itself almost exactly the same,” says Kalinovsky. — In 2001, in order to save money, the Ukrainian authorities created a very small restricted zone around the exercises - with a radius of 70 kilometers, while S-200 missiles were used, which have a range of up to 300 kilometers! That is, in an amicable way, they needed to close the international air route for the duration of the exercises, but then Ukraine would have to compensate the airlines for all costs associated with flying over this zone. The same thing happened with Boeing. Instead of closing the air corridor over the places where the fighting is taking place, Ukraine decided to save money. Perhaps there were other reasons. I will say this: what happened now and then was not an accident. Specialists can see this with the naked eye. Both then and now it was not just a mistake by the anti-aircraft gunners. In 2001, everything was set up - even then there were intentions to aggravate relations between Russia and Ukraine.

MISSING PARTS

It was not possible to prove Ukraine’s guilt in court also because... the most important material evidence disappeared. The S-200 missile hits the target, exploding near it, thousands of steel balls destroying everything in its path. They were stuffed with fragments of the Russian “carcass”. All that was left to do was send the bullets for examination.
- There were a lot of murky things in the investigation that were incomprehensible to us. For example, the disappearance of one of the main material evidence. I’ve never told journalists about this before, but the head of the investigative department of the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine, Valery Zhuravel, once admitted to me that the steel balls simply disappeared on the way to Ukraine. The one who transported them almost died himself, getting into a car accident, which, as you understand, could have been arranged. Zhuravel was then a member of the commission investigating the disaster, I don’t know how much you can trust his words. But if these balls were sent for examination, it would immediately be clear which missile was fired from and who fired it. But it seems that the last clue incriminating the Ukrainian military was deliberately destroyed.

VERBATIM

Komsomolskaya Pravda publishes an excerpt from the order of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation dated December 4, 2001 No. NA-424-r “On the emergency incident with the Tu-154M aircraft RA-85693.”
At 9 hours 45 minutes UTC, the tape recorder of the Strela SCC AUVD recorded a sound signal corresponding to the crew’s exit to external communication, accompanied by an emotional cry. Subsequently, within 45 seconds, several more signals were recorded from the crew members pressing the button on the on-board HF radio station, followed by noises and screams from the crew members (including the phrase “... where did ..."), indicating a sudden occurrence on board the aircraft emergency vessel. Almost simultaneously with the first press on the radar screen of the Strela Air Traffic Control Center, the dispatcher noted the disappearance of the aircraft mark.

At 9 hours 46 minutes UTC, the crew of the An-24 aircraft of the Armenian airline contacted the dispatcher, reporting that they had observed an explosion in the air and, presumably, a crash of the plane. The crew of the Tu-154M RA-85693 aircraft did not respond to repeated calls from ATC authorities and the crew of the An-24 aircraft. The emergency incident with the Tu-154M RA-85693 aircraft occurred as a result of the aircraft being hit by the 5B14Sh warhead of the 5B28 missile of the S-200V anti-aircraft complex, which was launched during an exercise of the Ukrainian Air Defense Forces from a position located near the city of Feodosia on the Crimean Peninsula. When hit, the aircraft's structure received significant damage, which caused depressurization of the passenger cabin and ignition of fuel and other flammable substances of the aircraft. The plane collided with water, collapsed and sank at a depth of 2000 meters. As a result of the incident, all passengers and crew members on board the aircraft were killed.

Relatives of those killed in the plane crash believe that Ukrainian anti-aircraft gunners deliberately shot down the Tu-154 in order to cause a quarrel between the two countries.

Compensations were paid, but the perpetrators were not named. After 15 years, the relatives of those who were on board the Tel Aviv-Novosibirsk plane have not achieved punishment for the Ukrainian military. The petition “Create an international tribunal to investigate the Tu-154 plane crash” has been hanging on the Internet for more than a year, but has collected only a hundred and a half signatures. It seems that the story of the plane shot down over the Black Sea itself drowned in the news chaos of daily emergencies. But not for the relatives of the 66 passengers and 12 crew members.

"It's Putin's fault"

The tactics of the Ukrainian side are as follows: since the main part of the plane remained at the bottom of the Black Sea, then the fact that the plane was destroyed by a Ukrainian air defense missile cannot be considered proven. But it is too late to make claims against Ukraine at the state level - the issue was resolved “amicably” back in 2003.

Such interstate agreements did not suit many relatives of the victims. Some considered the compensation insufficient, while others generally believed that it was not a matter of money, but of punishing the perpetrators.

Especially for such persistent ones, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine ordered an examination in 2008, which declared the IAC’s conclusions unfounded. According to Ukrainian experts, the S-200 complex could not shoot down the Tu-154. Experts did not rule out that the source of damage to the aircraft could have been located both outside and inside the airliner, in particular, it could have been an explosive device placed “between the ceiling of the interior of the aircraft” and its outer shell.

Based on this conclusion, in 2011, the Economic Court of Kyiv rejected a claim for $15 million filed by Siberia Airlines against the Ministry of Defense and the State Treasury of Ukraine.

But that's not all. In the early 2010s, “investigations” appeared in the Ukrainian media, the authors of which claimed that there was an air defense error, but the culprits were not the Ukrainian, but the Russian military.

This version began to be circulated especially actively after February 2014, and especially after the death of the Boeing over Donbass.

According to this version, the Tu-154 was allegedly shot down by the S-300 complex belonging to the Russian army. After this, according to supporters of this theory, Russian President Vladimir Putin secretly agreed with the head of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma that the Ukrainian side would “take the blame upon itself” for certain financial preferences.

Adherents of this version rely on the decision of Ukrainian courts, which is based on the conclusions of Ukrainian experts.

All this could have been avoided if Russia in the early 2000s had not harbored illusions about maintaining good neighborly relations with Ukraine, for the sake of which, in fact, the agreement “On the Settlement of the Claim” was concluded in 2003. But what's done is done.

MEMORY

On October 4, mourning ceremonies were held in Novosibirsk to mark the fifth anniversary of the death of the TU-154M aircraft of the S7 airline (in 2001 - Siberia), operating flight No. 1812 Tel Aviv - Novosibirsk. As one of the relatives of the dead passengers, the chairman of the “Fund for Assistance to the Families of Lost Passengers of Flight No. 1812” Boris Kalinovsky told a REGNUM correspondent, the anniversary was traditionally celebrated at the Zaeltsovsky cemetery in Novosibirsk.

There is a memorial here in the form of the tail of an airplane and a stele with the names of the dead passengers. Boris Kalinovsky said that relatives of the disaster victims and representatives of the Jewish agency Sokhnut in Novosibirsk gathered at the cemetery. Some of the relatives are these days in Sochi - at the site of the plane crash.

sources

On October 4, 2001, a Siberia Airlines airliner unexpectedly disappeared from tracking radars, flying on the Tel Aviv-Novosibirsk route. After some time, the bodies of some passengers and the wreckage of the plane were discovered in the Black Sea. It later turned out that the liner crashed into the sea. All 78 people on board, most of them Israeli citizens, and crew members were killed. And even 15 years after this tragedy, its exact cause is still unknown.

Firing sector

An initial investigation showed that the crash of the airliner was caused by a Ukrainian missile fired during joint Ukrainian-Russian military exercises in the area. At first, the military denied involvement in this tragedy, then they partially admitted their guilt, and then the conclusions of the Ukrainian examination indicated the innocence of our country. But Ukraine still paid compensation to the relatives of the dead Israelis and Russians.

Immediately after the crash, the Interstate Aviation Committee, which was created by the countries of the post-Soviet space to investigate such disasters, began its investigation into the death of the plane. And according to his conclusion, the Sibir company plane was unintentionally shot down by a Ukrainian S-200 missile fired during a joint Ukrainian-Russian exercise from Cape Opuk in Crimea, which, by the way, was attended by 23 foreign observers.

The Ty-154 aircraft accidentally found itself in the center of the intended firing sector of a training target, as a result of which it was detected by the S-200 radar and accepted as a training target. Given the lack of time and nervousness caused by the presence of high command and foreign guests, the S-200 operator did not double-check this data and pressed “start.” In addition, the organizers of the shooting did not take all measures to clear the airspace in the exercise area. Flights were prohibited only within a radius of 50 km, although the range of destruction of targets with the S-200B complex is 255 kilometers.

And the downed plane itself was in the area of ​​responsibility of air traffic services of the Russian Federation. Ukrainian air traffic services authorities have closed the airspace for flights within their jurisdiction - up to the border of the Russian Federation's zone of responsibility.

"We know that we are involved in the tragedy"

After these conclusions, the head of the Ukrainian defense department, Alexander Kuzmuk, apologized for what happened.

We know that we are involved in the tragedy, although its causes have not yet been fully established,” he said.

But President Leonid Kuchma still dismissed him for this tragedy.

In 2003, Ukraine signed intergovernmental agreements on compensation with Russia and Israel. In accordance with these agreements, Ukraine paid the relatives of the victims: $7.8 million to Russia and $7.5 million to Israel. The payment of compensation was carried out according to the legal procedure ex gratia, that is, without Ukraine admitting its guilt for the downed plane.

This was also the reason that the claim of Siberia Airlines against the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and State Treasury for $15 million was rejected. And the refusal to pay this claim was based on the conclusions of specialists from the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise (KNISE) and the Kharkov Institute air force them. Kozhedub.

Experts came to the conclusion that the Sibir company plane could not have been shot down by a Ukrainian missile. The rocket exploded at a distance of 780 meters from the plane, which made its destruction impossible. The “black boxes” were never found, therefore, according to Ukrainian experts, there is no way to reliably determine the causes of the disaster. And based on the available information, Ukrainian experts have suggested that the plane was damaged by an explosive device that could have been located “between the ceiling of the inside of the plane” and its body.

At the same time, an alternative version of the plane’s death appeared. On the day of the tragedy, during the exercise, 23 missiles were fired from Ukrainian and Russian anti-aircraft missile systems, including Russian S-300 air defense systems. According to monitoring data from the Russian radar station "Gelendzhik", 30 seconds before the explosion, the Ukrainian missile was observed at a distance of 50 kilometers from the crash site. That is, in 30 seconds, according to her capabilities, she could not have been at the point of contact with the plane. The maximum distance that a Ukrainian S-200 air defense missile could fly during this time is 36 km. But the Russian S-300 air defense system at the same time was 11 kilometers closer to the plane’s route than the Ukrainian one. And his missile, in terms of its tactical and technical characteristics and speed, could easily cover a distance of 50 kilometers during this time. But this version remained an alternative. At that time, the Ukrainian leadership did not want to spoil relations with either Israel or Russia, so they made a gesture of goodwill by paying compensation to the relatives of the victims without admitting their guilt.

In September 2004, the General Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine closed the criminal case into the crash, since the investigation did not establish objective data that would reliably indicate that the Tu-154 was shot down by an S-200 missile launched during an exercise by the Ukrainian air defense forces. As a result, the Sibir company, having gone through all possible authorities in Ukraine, did not take the opportunity to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

Flash in the sky

The death of a Boeing passenger plane over Donbass in the summer of 2014 was not the first time a passenger airliner was destroyed by air defense systems. The most notorious of these disasters were the death of a South Korean Boeing, shot down by a Soviet fighter over the Strait of Tartary in 1983, and the destruction by the US military of an Iranian A-300 airliner over the Persian Gulf in 1988.

In the shadow of these cases remains a tragedy that occurred during a period when the Cold War had been forgotten, and a new round of confrontation was still ahead.

In the fall of 2001, immediately after the September 11 terrorist attacks, the world seemed to unite in a single impulse to fight international terrorism. The events that took place in the skies over the Black Sea on October 4, 2001, were also initially perceived as an attack by extremists. However, as it was later established, they had a completely different nature.

On the morning of October 4, 2001, a Tu-154M with tail number RA-85693 took off from David Ben-Gurion International Airport in Israel. The plane, which belonged to the Russian airline Siberia, was operating flight SBI 1812 on the route Tel Aviv - Novosibirsk. There were 66 passengers and 12 crew members on board.

The flight went smoothly until 13:45 Moscow time. At this moment, the Tu-154 disappeared from the radar screens. The plane was at an altitude of 11,000 meters, approximately 200 kilometers southwest of Sochi.

Almost immediately, dispatchers received a message from an Armavia An-24 located in the same area. The pilot reported that he observed a bright flash at a higher level.

“There is no reason not to trust the Ukrainian side”

After this, there was practically no doubt that a disaster had occurred. Rescue ships went to the site of the alleged plane crash in the Black Sea, as well as planes from the Ministry of Defense and the Federal Border Service.

Wreckage of the Tu-154 and the bodies of dead people were found on the surface of the water. At the same time, most of the aircraft’s structures, as well as the remains of the victims, sank to the bottom.

In the place where the Russian plane crashed, the depth of the Black Sea exceeds 2000 meters, and the bottom is heavily silted. In the future, this fact will play an important role in this story.

By the time of the Tu-154 crash, less than a month had passed since the terrorist attack on New York. In addition, the plane was flying from Tel Aviv, so a theory immediately arose about a bomb on board.

Unlike the story that happened in 2014, in 2001 the United States did not seek to classify the data it had about the disaster.

Thanks to the leak of this information to the media, within a few hours US television companies reported sensational information: the Russian airliner was apparently shot down by a Ukrainian S-200 air defense missile launched during a military exercise.

Initially, the Russian side, relying on information received from Kyiv, denied such a possibility.

“Firstly, all necessary services in Ukraine were notified in advance. Secondly, the weapons that were used at that time, according to tactical and technical data, could not reach the air corridors in which our aircraft was located... In any case, there is no reason not to trust the Ukrainian side,” he said on the day of the disaster Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Where did you go?!”

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, in turn, confirmed that training firing of anti-aircraft systems was indeed carried out at the training ground at Cape Opuk, during which 23 missiles were fired. Representatives of Russia and other states attended the exercises. It was confirmed that the S-200 complex was also used, but it was argued that it could not hit the Siberia Airlines Tu-154.

However, already on October 5 Prime Minister of Ukraine Anatoly Kinakh stated that the version of a missile hitting the plane “has a right to exist.”

Israeli experts also worked together with Russian specialists. Particular attention was drawn to the data recorded by the tape recorder of the Strela automated air traffic control center.

At 13:45, the tape recorder recorded a signal corresponding to the crew’s access to external communication, accompanied by an emotional cry. Over the next few seconds, the external communication button was pressed several more times, due to which noise and screams on board were recorded. We were also able to make out the phrase “Where did you go?!”, shouted by one of the pilots.

On October 9, a representative of the commission investigating the disaster stated: an analysis of the holes in the fuselage showed that the plane could have been hit by a missile from the S-200 surface-to-air air defense system, since the size and shape of the holes are quite consistent with the shrapnel of the high-explosive fragmentation warhead of the missile of this particular complex .

"We are not the first and we are not the last"

At this point, rescuers reported that it was unlikely that it would be possible to lift the main part of the fuselage from the bottom - near the silted bottom at a depth of two kilometers, visibility was practically zero, and it was almost impossible to carry out work.

October 10 Deputy Prosecutor General Sergei Fridinsky stated that a forensic examination of the bodies raised from the water showed that all victims died from barotrauma. This meant that the airliner quickly collapsed at high altitude. The presence of carbon monoxide in the blood of the victims indicated that a fire had broken out on board.

The totality of the facts left no doubt - the Tu-154 was destroyed by an anti-aircraft missile.

On the same day, journalists asked President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma, whether he agrees with the conclusions of Russian experts. The President replied that he would accept the conclusions that were finally approved by the joint working group.

Kuchma did not stop there and uttered words that went down in history: “Look what is happening around the world, in Europe... we are not the first and we are not the last, there is no need to make a tragedy out of this. Errors happen everywhere, and not only on this scale, but on a much larger, planetary scale. If we do not lower ourselves below the civilized level, everything will be fine. And if we pour a bucket of dirt on ourselves, then you’re welcome.”

The words of the President of Ukraine caused, to put it mildly, misunderstanding. The press service of the Israeli Prime Minister issued the following response: “When the person killed is not a representative of your people, then it is probably possible to make such academic conclusions. 78 people died, most of whom were Israelis - for us this is the greatest tragedy."

Erroneous "backlight"

The final conclusion of the Interstate Aviation Committee stated that the plane was unintentionally shot down by a Ukrainian S-200 anti-aircraft missile launched during military exercises in Crimea.

The S-200 anti-aircraft missile system uses a semi-active guidance system, when the radiation source is a powerful ground-based radar (“target illumination”) and the missile is guided by the signal reflected from the target.

During the exercises on October 4, 2001, the Ty-154 aircraft accidentally found itself in the center of the intended firing sector of a training target and had a radial speed close to it, as a result of which it was detected by the S-200 radar and accepted as a training target.

The operator of the S-200 complex, working in the presence of high-ranking officers from several countries, became nervous and instead of an inconspicuous training target, he “highlighted” the passenger Tu-154. At the same time, the airliner found itself in an area that was not declared prohibited during the shooting and in which the S-200 missile, according to its characteristics, could hit the target.

In twenty days Minister of Defense of Ukraine Alexander Kuzmuk was dismissed. A number of other Ukrainian generals and colonels were dismissed from service or demoted in rank, but there was no official connection between these personnel decisions and the death of the Russian airliner.

Unlike the investigation into the death of flight MH-17 over the Donbass, the investigation into the Tu-154 crash over the Black Sea did not need to show “cartoons” and dubious photos from the Internet as evidence. According to experts, the collected data was quite enough to win the case against Ukraine in an international court.

Compensation without admission of guilt

However, at that time, the top leadership of Russia considered that the matter needed to be settled amicably. Moreover, Ukraine expressed an open desire for this.

On December 26, 2003, Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement on the settlement of claims, according to which $7.8 million was transferred to pay the relatives of the deceased Russian passengers. Ukraine signed a similar agreement with Israel, which was paid $7.5 million.

Payment of compensation was carried out ex gratia, that is, without recognition of legal liability. Thus, Israel and Russia agreed that Ukraine would save face by not officially admitting guilt for the destruction of the Tu-154.

In September 2004, the General Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine closed the criminal case into the crash, since the investigation did not establish objective data that would reliably indicate that the Tu-154 was shot down by an S-200 missile launched during an exercise by the Ukrainian air defense forces.

The tactics of the Ukrainian side are as follows: since the main part of the plane remained at the bottom of the Black Sea, then the fact that the plane was destroyed by a Ukrainian air defense missile cannot be considered proven. But it is too late to make claims against Ukraine at the state level - the issue was resolved “amicably” back in 2003.

It's Putin's fault

Such interstate agreements did not suit many relatives of the victims. Some considered the compensation insufficient, while others generally believed that it was not a matter of money, but of punishing the perpetrators.

Especially for such persistent ones, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine ordered an examination in 2008, which declared the IAC’s conclusions unfounded. According to Ukrainian experts, the S-200 complex could not shoot down the Tu-154. Experts did not rule out that the source of damage to the aircraft could have been located both outside and inside the airliner, in particular, it could have been an explosive device placed “between the ceiling of the interior of the aircraft” and its outer shell.

Based on this conclusion, in 2011, the Economic Court of Kyiv rejected a claim for $15 million filed by Siberia Airlines against the Ministry of Defense and the State Treasury of Ukraine.

But that's not all. In the early 2010s, “investigations” appeared in the Ukrainian media, the authors of which claimed that there was an air defense error, but the culprits were not the Ukrainian, but the Russian military.

This version began to be circulated especially actively after February 2014, and especially after the death of the Boeing over Donbass.

According to this version, the Tu-154 was allegedly shot down by the S-300 complex belonging to the Russian army. After this, according to supporters of this theory, Russian President Vladimir Putin secretly agreed with the head of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma that the Ukrainian side would “take the blame upon itself” for certain financial preferences.

Adherents of this version rely on the decision of Ukrainian courts, which is based on the conclusions of Ukrainian experts.

All this could have been avoided if Russia in the early 2000s had not harbored illusions about maintaining good neighborly relations with Ukraine, for the sake of which, in fact, the agreement “On the Settlement of the Claim” was concluded in 2003. But what's done is done.