Tu 154 was shot down by a Ukrainian missile. Catastrophe in the sky over the Black Sea: Ukraine paid the money, but did not admit guilt
"Knock him down on x..!" - how careless APU shot the passenger Tu-154On October 4, 2001, 16 years ago, Ukraine shot down a Russian passenger plane Tu-154M of Siberia Airlines, flying from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk, over the Black Sea. Everyone on board died.
The catastrophe over the Black Sea, which was forgotten over the years, as a result of which 78 people died on the Tel Aviv-Novosibirsk flight, has not yet found its logical conclusion. Having admitted its guilt, Ukraine did not pay compensation Russian airline"Siberia" in the amount of $15 million, limited to payments of $200,000 for each dead Israeli and Russian. Shot down, shot down, but we will not answer in full - this is in the style of the current policy of Kyiv.
Scheduled flight SBI1812 on the route Tel Aviv - Novosibirsk, operated on the morning of October 4, 2001 from David Ben Gurion Airport to Tolmachevo Airport, was interrupted after 1 hour and 45 minutes of flight. The liner was at an altitude of 11 thousand meters and was about to start descending at the airport in Sochi, where intermediate refueling was to take place. Before landing in Russian resort town there were about 200 kilometers left when the crew recorded the fact that their aircraft had hit the missile’s sight and managed to send several signals on the air with an alarm button. It was no longer possible to deviate from the damaging effect of a missile rushing to intercept - the pilots only had time to notice that they were being attacked.
As you know, it was at this time that Ukrainian air defense exercises were held on the territory of Cape Opuk in Crimea, which were attended, among other things, by foreign observers. Shooting at training air targets was carried out, including from the S-200V complexes, the missile of which mistakenly hit a civilian ship.
“Malignant intent in the downed Tu-154 over the Black Sea in 2001 is difficult to assume, rather it was not,” says military expert Vladislav Shurygin. - Then there was no such amount of negativity in the minds of Ukrainian citizens in relation to the Russians. Moreover, it was an international flight, there were mostly Israeli citizens on board the plane, and Ukraine would not risk running into such a major scandal that it could not get out of. The reason seems to be different - by that time, graduates of specialized military schools had not entered the Air Defense Forces of Ukraine for ten years, and many of the current officers either quit or left for Russia. Most likely, the operator of the S-200V complex was simply not professionally trained enough, plus he was under psychological pressure from high authorities, who demanded to show skill in the eyes of foreign observers. All this could lead to the fact that instead of the training target, which was 60 kilometers away, the operator aimed the missile at a target that was 250-300 kilometers away - he mixed it up! The main thing was to make the launch faster and show the dashing of the Ukrainian PVEs. The result is known."
After the catastrophe, Kyiv immediately went into "non-consciousness" and for a long time denied participation in the tragedy of its rocket.
“Tragedies when a civilian aircraft becomes a victim of the military (for various reasons) are not so rare,” says media consultant Alexander Zimovsky. - In such cases, there is an iron rule: deny everything. In addition, the great powers can afford one more liberties. Justify the destruction of a civilian aircraft by recognizing it as a military incident. This is how Americans behave. Remember the Iranian Airbus that was shot down by a missile from the American cruiser Vincennes?
Then 290 people died, the commander of the ship received an order.
Ukraine, as a third-rate country, cannot afford such a luxury. Therefore, in the case of the destruction of the Tu-154 over the Black Sea in 2001, Kyiv went into complete "unconsciousness". I am well aware of all the circumstances of the tragedy, because in 2001 our television company reported that a Ukrainian air defense system had shot down a passenger plane during firing in Crimea. I myself curated this special news release, and conducted fact-checking based on data from American tracking and warning systems. They immediately and without hesitation pointed to the Ukrainian origin of the rocket that shot down the plane that took off from Tel Aviv.
In the future, the Ukrainian generals and officials went into denial. But then, in the first few hours, out of fear, almost all those involved on the Ukrainian side did not dispute the incident in any way. The command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine recognized both the fact of the exercises, and the very conduct of firing in the indicated area, and the loss of control over the fired missile by the combat crew of the air defense system. And even the command of the Minister of Defense Kuzmuk to the commander of the air defense system, who expressed doubts about the captured target, was even preserved in Ukrainian military folklore: "Knock him down on x..!"
. Two weeks later, Kuzmuk was removed from his post.
On that fateful day, at the Opuk training ground, a show was staged for President Kuchma. The Minister of Defense of Ukraine, General of the Army Kuzmuk, conducted himself, with him were the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Defense of Ukraine, Colonel General Vladimir Tkachev and his deputy for combat training, Lieutenant General Vladimir Dyakov, commander of the 49th Ukrainian Corps, Lieutenant General Kalinyuk. Kuchma was saved only by the fact that he “fell ill” the day before (this often happened to him), and did not arrive at the training ground. However, he never denied either the incident itself or Ukraine's guilt in what happened. Even if with an indispensable clause about the accident of the tragedy.
Then, following the results of an official investigation of the tragedy in the sky over the Black Sea, many high-ranking military personnel who, even if indirectly, were resigned Russian aircraft. At the same time, none of them was put on trial - everyone got off with a censure. Moreover, all this time Ukraine has been putting forward and is putting forward versions of its non-involvement in the incident and, despite the results of the investigations, is “pushing through” the version of an internal explosion on board a civil aircraft. And today, on the next anniversary, no one in Kyiv remembers that terrible tragedy - such "accuracy" of Ukrainian air defense is clearly not held in high esteem today.
P.S.
The Commission of the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC), after examining the wreckage, came to the conclusion that the liner was "unintentionally hit" by an S-200 Surface-to-Air anti-aircraft missile launched by the Ukrainian air defense forces, which were conducting military exercises that day at Cape Opuk in Crimea. It was assumed that the operator of the anti-aircraft complex, having discovered several objects in the sky, did not begin to determine the distance to the target and “highlighted” (to determine the rocket) a more powerful object, which turned out to be the Tu-154. And the training target at that time was at a closer distance, but less noticeable than the plane.
Five minutes after the plane was shot down, this was reported via open communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Then the Americans immediately shared information about the launch of the rocket.
At the same time, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, at first, Oleksandr Kuzmuk, said that on October 4, the exercises of the air defense forces did not take place. And the press service of the Ukrainian Navy reported that the exercises were nevertheless carried out, but they began after the plane crash, which turned out to be a lie.
On October 9, a representative of the commission for the investigation of the disaster stated: an analysis of the holes in the fuselage showed that the aircraft could have been hit by a missile from the S-200 air defense system, since the size and shape of the holes are consistent with the shrapnel of the high-explosive fragmentation warhead of the missile of this particular complex .
On October 10, 2001, President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma answered journalists' questions about the causes of the plane crash
- Look what's going on around the world, in Europe? We are not the first and not the last, there is no need to make a tragedy out of this. Mistakes 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 are welcome.
The International Aviation Committee, which is based in Moscow, directly blamed Ukraine for the plane crash.
- Comrade General, I wish you good health.
Good evening.
Alexander Ivanovich, I will read you a dry summary, I think it will tell you a lot: on October 4, 2001, a Tu-154 aircraft flying on a Tel- Aviv - Novosibirsk with 74 passengers and crew on board. The Russians claim that Ukrainians shot down the plane. However, I know there is another point of view. Do you know her?
We have an interesting start. I wonder what the sequel will be. But I'm ready for it. A great human tragedy really happened 16 years ago on October 4th. I'll tell you how it was. There were scheduled exercises of the Air Defense Forces of Ukraine and the Air Force, which were regularly held every two years. And, as a rule, the commanders of the air defense and air forces of all neighboring states, including Russia, were invited. At the final stage of firing, the commander of the Air Defense Forces and the Russian Air Force, Colonel-General Kornukov, announced the tragedy that occurred over Sea of Azov. Naturally, all those present expressed their condolences. Nobody knew then what had happened.
- Did he say what kind of tragedy?
That the plane went missing...
- ... disappeared ...
- ... the plane crashed over the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov. By evening it turned out that over Cherny. And, of course, we were the first to react, because the exercises were held here. I flew to Cape Opuk and demanded a selection of all the launches that were made at that moment. In terms of time and capabilities, only one complex was suitable - the S-200, which theoretically could reach the aircraft, because in practice it shoots at targets at a distance of 70 kilometers. But the place of the plane's death has not yet been established, so the very wording "was shot down by a missile" is not entirely accurate. We checked everything and opened a criminal case, as did the Russian Prosecutor General's Office. However, the first excitement was under the article "terrorism". And then they began to search for the wreckage. Why is the exact location of the plane crash not determined? Because they were carried away by the current for a long distance. But some fragments were raised by rescue equipment of the Ministry of Emergency Situations Russian Federation. Although the most interesting began later. On the 12-13th day after the crash, the International Aviation Committee, which is in Moscow, directly blamed Ukraine for the plane crash. Compare: a Malaysian Boeing was shot down three years ago, and there are still no final investigation materials. Despite the fact that the wreckage of this aircraft ended up on the ground, and there - at a depth of 2000 meters. And on the 12th day, Ukraine was blamed for the disaster! The Russian Federation referred the criminal case to the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine, which launched a very thorough investigation. And this is where the inconsistencies began. First, of the wreckage that was found, not a single fragment of the aircraft's outer skin was damaged, and quite a few were found. Including the nose of the aircraft, where they simply had to be, but they were absent. However, on the internal parts of the aircraft, between the first and second cabins, there were damages ...
- ... the explosion was from the inside?
The International Aviation Committee went on to say that the explosion occurred 18 meters above the aircraft's tail. How they determined this, we do not know. This class of missiles, a type of complexes, does not shoot after, but in advance. Fragments of a projectile and combat submunitions were found. Unfortunately, in the bodies of the dead. We have done all kinds of analysis. Here is a new inconsistency: they did not coincide with each other. And spectral analysis showed that they do not belong to the warhead of the rocket. Because we dismantled the shells that were made in the same workshop with the previous and subsequent numbers, in relation to the one fired, and they did not coincide with each other. The remnants of the explosive used in the warhead were also absent on these submunitions. But there was a conventional explosive, which is used for pipe bombs.
- Conclusion: this plane was shot down not by Ukraine?
Still not the whole conclusion!
- ... yeah! ..
We took water samples from a large area at the crash site. Rocket fuel was obliged to stay there, it could not go anywhere, but it was not there. There was aviation fuel, but no rocket fuel. What is a rocket? Yes, this is a set of elementary pipes. Not a single rocket fragment was found in the sea. There were parts of the plane, but there were no rockets. The investigation continued for 10 years, because people died, and there should be no errors in the investigation. The case was closed. Then the Russian side (Sibir Airlines) demanded compensation from us in the economic court, and the case was brought up again. But all the investigators came to the conclusion that there is no evidence that the plane was shot down by a missile!
- So, the plane was not shot down by a Ukrainian missile?
The plane was not shot down by a Ukrainian missile.
What happened to him, in your opinion? Some kind of internal explosion, a terrorist attack?
Judging by all the studies, including those that we conducted abroad (some of which cannot be confirmed), the plane was blown up from the inside. It was carefully prepared. The timing is good! We are 20 days...
- ... announced ...
- ... yes, they sent information to Munich that we were closing the area, so that they would tell everyone that from such and such a time, to the nearest minute, rocket firing would be carried out in such and such a direction ...
- …all clear…
But the behavior of the plane was strange, he deviated from the course, he should not have flown there at all!
Do you think the purpose of this terrorist act, if it was such (and we are inclined to this), was to frame Ukraine?
I don't think so. As a concomitant - perhaps, I do not exclude this. But the cause of this catastrophe, in my opinion, must be sought among the passengers of that aircraft.
- Did you have a lot of scars on your heart after this tragedy?
The trial in this case lasted 10 years. But from the first day I independently made the decision to resign. Nobody removed me from office. I just understood the responsibility, and how this situation will affect the image of the country. Moreover, Ukraine was then in a difficult internal and external political situation. And I considered it my duty not just to ask, but to demand the president's resignation in order to minimize problems. Of course, you can’t close your mouth to anyone, everyone has their own opinion, but I think that I succeeded to some extent.
There were no tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Ukraine
Leonid Makarovich Kravchuk, who made the historic decision to give Ukraine away from nuclear weapons, repeatedly explained to me why this had to be done. Do you think it was necessary to give Ukraine nuclear weapons?
You know it was inevitable. Just an inevitability. I am surprised, Dmitry Ilyich, to listen to those numerous "experts" who know what nuclear weapons are. Yes, this is not a secret for Ukraine, we took part in its development, we have enough scientists in this field. But let's see what we had? It was not in service, but was kept from strategic offensive weapons. These are intercontinental ballistic missiles, strategic aviation systems with cruise missiles and front-line aviation. I want to say right away (few people know about this) that there were no tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Ukraine. It was taken out even before the collapse of the Soviet Union. If you cut off a man's head, what will the legs and arms do? Nothing. It's about the same. The control of these weapons comes from a single center.
- From Moscow?
Yes. And in place - execution in automatic mode ...
- ... and point ...
All codes are there. If someone disagrees and says that we ourselves could, we have many scientists, I will answer no! When a weapon is developed, a control system is also created. Well, if we, like North Korea, had thrown all the power of the country into the creation of nuclear weapons (although we didn’t have such money), maybe in 15-20-30 years we would have created something. But by that time, we would no longer have nuclear weapons physically. Because in 1997, every conceivable...
-… deadlines…
- …storage is over. And just in case, each warhead, when they were on alert, was checked and tested from time to time ...
- ... specialists from Moscow ...
- ... five research institutes that were in different points I won't say exactly where...
- …In Russian federation?
Including in the Russian Federation.
NATO is a distant prospect for a warring country
- Do you think Ukraine should join NATO?
I want to remind you that Ukraine has been making such attempts for a long time. In 1997, in Madrid, we signed the Charter for a Distinctive Partnership with NATO. Well, it's a straight line. Even those who are in NATO today (our former colleagues in the Warsaw Pact) did not have such a privilege. It has long been written in the foundations of foreign policy that our strategic goal is Euro-Atlantic integration while maintaining normal relations with Russia.
Does that mean you have to join?
I believe that the first stage, which should last no more than two or three years in our situation, is to reach the standards of the Alliance as much as possible. As for NATO, this is a distant prospect for a country at war, so let's focus on its standards, and then we will become very close to it.
Alexander Ivanovich, tell me, who, in your opinion, was the best president of Ukraine in all the years of independence? I ask this question to many of my guests...
- (thinking). You asked a very direct question, but I need to be correct (smiles), because I served under four supreme commanders. (thinking). Leonid Makarovich Kravchuk accomplished not just a life, but an unsurpassed civil feat. He almost completely gave himself, making a decision and participating in the creation of an independent Ukraine. He risked everything...
- …certainly…
- ... family, name, not to mention life. No one else has committed actions of this magnitude in our country, and given its significance, they will not do so. The president of progress is Leonid Danilovich Kuchma. And I will focus on him, because under his presidency it was clear where we were going. He is often accused of being multi-vector. So listen, was it really bad for Ukraine at that moment?
- ... the only way out ...
To be understandable to all neighbors, near and far, is a normal phenomenon...
- ... I left my grandmother, I left my grandfather ...
It was the best decision for that moment, until the country rises. And Leonid Danilovich did everything to make smoke come out of the factory chimney. After him, this was no longer the case. I think so.
- The question is even more difficult: who was the best Minister of Defense in Ukraine for all the years of independence?
- ... you were a minister twice ...
- ... in six governments, by the way. I have very great respect for Konstantin Morozov.
- First Minister?
Yes. He is an intellectual, an exceptionally decent, demanding general. And I can imagine what a titanic work he did at the start of the creation of the Armed Forces.
You were the Minister of Defense of Ukraine twice. Longer than you, I calculated, no one has held this post in the country. Recently, in this studio, in the same chair, Sergei Pashinsky was sitting. And that for almost 26 years of independence, all defense ministers have been plundering the army and thereby reducing its combat readiness. You too?
Pashinsky sat in this chair, and I would listen to what he would say if he sat in the chair of the Minister of Defense for at least a few days. He would not in-si-deeds, but in-se-deeds. The Minister of Defense has nothing to do with the things that he so cheerfully declared. Listen, well, the people's deputy is allowed by the status law to grind anything, and he is not responsible for it. So, the Minister of Defense does not deal with these issues. And what Pashinsky accuses of is impossible for any minister of this department. In Ukraine, there is a fairly strict procedure and approach to the management of all property of the Ministry of Defense. Naturally, with me (considering how many years I held this post), some types of weapons were reduced. However, let me tell you about what Pashinsky does not know. I heard he has a secretary on the committee, I don't remember his last name, but he also likes to talk. So, let's see: the fighter aviation fleet consisted of Su-27, MiG-29, MiG-23, Su-17B, Yak-28 and MiG-21 in storage. Bomber aviation: Tu-160, Tu-95, Tu-22, Tu-22M3. Front: Su-24, Su-25. Plus naval aviation, four types of helicopters and tanks. Main battle tanks: T-80 of two modifications (one was produced in Leningrad, the other - in Kharkov), T-64 - in Ukraine, T-72 - in Chelyabinsk, and at storage bases - T-62 and T-55 with corresponding dates manufacturing. The same in the Navy - seven different air defense systems. So what to do with all this? Therefore, the general staff ...
- ... makes a decision ...
- ... yes, on the basis of the State Program for the Construction and Development of the Armed Forces for the period up to 2005. I led the development team. And this is the only one Government program which has been completed. But it was no longer I who witnessed this, but Anatoly Stepanovich Gritsenko, who became Minister of Defense during the debriefing. And this program clearly outlines all the needs of the army in accordance with the specified period. Everything else - to the government, to the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers, and then they sort it out.
The occupation of Crimea began a few years before the actual events
How could it happen that under Yanukovych, Salamatin, who is close to Russia, and Lebedev, a citizen of the Russian Federation in general, were ministers of defense? What was it?
These gentlemen were in the Verkhovna Rada for two convocations. Who could know that they are citizens of Russia?!
- Is Salamatin also a citizen of Russia?
As far as I understand, yes.
- ... yeah, that is, both ...
Is it just them! The head of the SBU was a citizen of Russia!
- ... Yakimenko, yes ...
But how was this information to be known? And they were with us for a long time and it is not clear for what purposes. In Ukraine, I think, a narrow circle of people knew about it. And everything else was not known to us.
I will ask you a very important question: imagine that at the time of the seizure of Crimea by Russia, you are the Minister of Defense of Ukraine. Your actions?
Well, I already heard some commanders-in-chief in this studio - they waved their saber, drove planes, troops were withdrawn. But it does nothing but sadness. First, I will say unequivocally: at the time when I was the Minister of Defense, it was impossible!
- Impossible?
Not! And no one could look askance towards Ukraine. And it wasn't just me. Until a certain point...
- …interesting…
- ...because the Armed Forces were powerful enough. Yes, they were underfunded and very seriously, but the spirit, and training, and the state of technology did not give a chance to a possible aggressor. And then, the country's economy was different, it could work for the war. One army is not able to fight.
- Well, "little green men" appeared in the Crimea. You are the Minister of Defense. Your actions?
So not quite "little green men" took Crimea.
- …This is clear...
I was already there on March 3rd...
- …in Crimea?..
Yes. And - in the form. Openly, by regular plane, with one assistant...
- ...Wow!
Starting from the first appearance of these "little men" in the Council of Ministers and in the Supreme Council of Crimea, I called each unit commander every evening (and they all knew me well and respected me), and they informed me what was going on with them. I proposed to the Verkhovna Rada and the Cabinet of Ministers to organize immediate field meetings ...
- ... in Simferopol? ..
Of course. Unfortunately, neither the Rada nor the Cabinet of Ministers responded. True, later, but also in March, the then Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Yarema made an attempt to fly to the Crimea. He invited me and Tenyukh with him. But we only got as far as Boryspil. Neither Belbek, nor any other airfield received us, everything was closed. And on March 3, I freely traveled from Simferopol airport to Perevalnoye, where the ground-based naval defense brigade, our main military force, was concentrated, and all the commanders of the Crimean units gathered there, knowing that I would fly ...
- …Wow!
So there was a picture: I stopped the car, got out. Around - a ring of "green men" with weapons, snipers. Then - a dense ring of Cossacks with Russian banners. And then - the locals form an even tighter ring around our military unit. That is, the local population and the Cossacks were covered ...
- ... like a shield ...
- ... the troops that came. There were not many of them, our brigade would have torn them to pieces.
- What did the unit commanders tell you? Were they ready?
Yes, I met not only with unit commanders and soldiers, but also with local residents and Cossacks.
- What did they say?
The first question was mine. I asked about what tasks were assigned to them by the Minister of Defense, the Chief of the General Staff, the commander of the types of troops? Everyone answered, and there were 28 or 32, I don’t remember ...
- ... unit commanders? ..
Yes. "Get out!", - that's how they answered. Well, they "trimmed". And I want to say that they "treated" for more than three weeks, and this gave us the opportunity to begin partial mobilization in Ukraine. They fettered the Russian troops, and at that time we began to turn around. And it played a role. As for the readiness of the troops, the entire brigade, numbering about 2,000 people, stood on the parade ground.
- But not enough?
This is just one team...
- … not enough?
2000 people for a brigade is enough. They sang the anthem of Ukraine, and the Russians with the Cossacks listened to 50 meters away. This is the brigade, which then, for the most part, went over to the side of the Russian Federation ...
- ... but that's the point!
But at that moment she sang the anthem of Ukraine.
Good. Sergei Pashinsky told me, and I agree with this, that the betrayal was so widespread in the army, and in the SBU, and in the police that there was no one to fight. Is that so, tell me?
A very delicate special operation was carried out by the Russian Federation. Not only the Crimeans, but also our servicemen were told that they were abandoned there, that Ukraine had abandoned them...
- ... and we will give you everything ...
It wasn't even the main thing. In addition, the leadership of the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces made a big mistake, which I spoke about a few months before the events at a scientific and practical conference at the General Staff and just using the example of this brigade. The troops there were 80% staffed by Crimeans. And this, of course, played a role. But the occupation of Crimea did not begin in February or January, but several years before the actual events. Look, they combed all the SBU, all the police, made the Yenakiyevo branch completely. What information could come from there? And from whom? Combed and military units. We won't know the whole truth anytime soon.
- That is, it was prepared in advance?
Yes. And in January, the Cossacks already came to rest ...
- …good time for relax…
- ... bikers came to have fun in the winter. For you to know: at the Olympics in Sochi, 40,000 selected special forces stood on the passes and provided security. And as soon as it ended, they were immediately transferred, because the distance is small ...
- …interesting…
- ... to the already prepared base in the Crimea. But the cunning was not even in this, but in the fact that the Russians did this when Ukraine was in a difficult internal political and economic situation, at a time when it was weakened, there was still practically no power, passions were raging.
One short question and short answer: you are the secretary of defense. In the Crimea begins a mess. Would you throw the "little green men" and Russian Cossacks out of Crimea, yes or no?
- (Thinks for a long time). War (long pause) far from the epitome of glory. This is organized murder, cruelty, robbery and violence, from which the elderly, women and children suffer first of all ...
- …so?..
Do you know who said it?
- …No…
British General Gordon. I congratulate you on such a namesake. To throw out the "green men" ...
- ... it was necessary to kill them a little ...
- ... it was necessary to put half of the population of Crimea.
- …like this…
The military is not capable of this.
So you wouldn't do it?
I wouldn't let that happen, but that's a different matter.
Malaysian Boeing over Donbas was shot down by Buk-M1 missile system, which belongs to the Russian Federation
- Was it necessary to introduce martial law in Ukraine in 2014?
On June 17, 2014, as a People's Deputy of Ukraine, I submitted a letter to the President with my proposals and a clear statement of the situation. After all, I was constantly at the front and saw how it developed. Incidentally, I did not raise the issue of abolishing the ATO, but suggested amending the law "On Combating Terrorism" in order to entrust control to operational headquarters(this is exactly what is being proposed now) and transfer the operation to the military category.
- So you said that then?
Yes. Then it was easy to do, but no decisions were made. A month later, without receiving a response, I wrote to the head of the Verkhovna Rada, Oleksandr Turchynov, in writing. Because I've seen a change of scenery. Our troops have already been shot by Russian artillery in the area of the concentration point in Zelenodolsk on the border with the Russian Federation. And many of our servicemen died, who simply camped, hoping that no one would violate the border. They were cynically shot. This is a completely different turn. I made a proposal to submit to the Verkhovna Rada the issue of introducing martial law throughout Ukraine.
- What did they answer you?
And they answered, by the way, positively. Then, at a closed session of the Verkhovna Rada, they voted for it, but with one caveat: with a clear aggravation of the situation. After that we had Ilovaisk.
- Who shot down the MalaysianBoeingover the Donbass, you know?
Missile complex "Buk-M1", which belongs to the Russian Federation. This has been clearly stated...
- ... that is, the Russian Federation shot him down?
- Can Russia now arrange a full-scale invasion of the territory of Ukraine?
- (thinking). I don't rule it out. And here's why: we often say the phrase "hybrid war", but no one has yet figured out what it is. There is a political aspect. We are experiencing it. We strive to be understood in the European Union and America. We are supported. Sanctions included. Russia is working against us. There is an informational, economic component that we feel ourselves. And there is - the military. And here is an interesting hybrid. If at first we were dealing with gangs, some groups, then in three years (which we, in general, provided to that side), the following happened: the Russian Federation hired local men and women and put them into operation, creating the 1st and 2nd Army Corps. And this should not be underestimated, they are equipped, armed and provided as standard corps and are now organizationally part of the 8th Combined Arms Guards Army of the Southern Military District. At the tactical level, all commanders are Russians.
- ... Russians ...
And now there are no others. Look, for three years, 17-20-year-old guys from the Donbass voluntarily (although you can still say how voluntarily) went to study in the higher military schools Russian Federation. And they return already quite seriously trained officers ...
- ... plus retirees ...
Sergeants and soldiers are trained in the training centers of the Russian Federation. And plus those that you mentioned - previously served. That is, it is impossible to underestimate and say that they are unorganized. Yes, there are gangs. By the way, out of 10 well-known private military companies, seven are walking around Donbass. All those gunfights that keep happening...
- ... led by Wagner, right? ..
Over the years, they have studied all of our defenses from space, from air and earth to atoms. You see, all the attacks are effective. They shoot in depth, and we are only dealing with the front line. Therefore, they cannot be underestimated.
Is the Russian army generally combat-ready? Are they good, strong troops? Because some experts (perhaps they are not quite specialized) say that Russian nuclear weapons are rusty - missiles will not take off. That everyone is poorly trained, and the best are fighting in the Donbass. What is the state of the Russian army today?
First, Russia's top political leadership drew conclusions from the 2008 Russo-Georgian war. And now they have unprecedented funding for the army, an unprecedented transfer of the military-industrial complex to a closed cycle of production and reform. In addition, the Russian Ministry of Defense changed the leadership of the armed forces. This issue was approached carefully and seriously, mainly those who had gone through Chechnya were appointed to the highest positions. As a result, today the Russian Federation has (I'll name the figure for experts) 58% of the latest (not new), but the latest technology. And first of all, it is aviation, the nuclear triad and the navy. Secondly, the staffing of the armed forces of the Russian Federation today is 93%. And this is also unprecedented. Will there be a war against us or not? Are they preparing?.. You know, after all, the 1st Tank Army was still recreated and formed in the suburbs. And she was gone for a long time, the last time she was involved in the group of Soviet troops in Germany in the 80th year. In addition, the 20th Army has been deployed in Voronezh, the 8th Guards Army has been recreated in the Southern District...
- ... and then there is Belarus ...
- ... the 49th Army was created in reserve. As for Belarus...
- ... teachings ...
- ... yes, every year. And look, the exercises take place in August-September, but for some reason now the engineering units of the 1st and 20th armies are located along the Dnieper and are training there. For some reason, pontoons are laid out on the Seversky Donets. 40 minutes - and they will block the Seversky Donets. But I will say right away that you can beat us, but never win!
- ... you can not win ...
Never! With this thought, they can say goodbye.
- Lose a lot of people, right?
And here is an interesting point. War is always loss. But nations must direct their actions to minimize them. This is what Napoleon said. Near our border, 500 aircraft have been trained at base airfields of various depths. The only option that can be used by the Russian Federation in a full-scale invasion (but can you imagine what an international resonance it will be?!) is aviation and missile forces. By the way, the entire territory of Ukraine is shot through by means of the armed forces of the Russian Federation without violating borders. All, can you imagine? But imagine, I repeat once again, what kind of resonance will there be in the world? Europe in general will howl! We have 2 million internally displaced people, and if a large-scale war starts, then, according to my calculations, 6-8 million people will go to the EU countries, in the next four, at least.
Ivanov and Shoigu pushed Putin into a military adventure in Ukraine
Alexander Ivanovich, we have six or seven minutes left, we are on the air. I have a few more questions, so I propose to continue the conversation in semi-blitz mode and answer a little shorter. According to my information (from sources in Western intelligence), two people, two of his closest associates, pushed Putin into the war with Ukraine: the then head of the presidential administration and former defense minister, your colleague Sergei Borisovich Ivanov and the current defense minister Shoigu, whom you probably know. When Putin realized what was happening, he dismissed Ivanov, and Shoigu is now hanging on by a thread, especially in light of the latest incident with Oliver Stone's film about Putin, when the Russian president showed the American director the alleged Russian air strikes on Syria, but it turned out that this There were US air strikes on Afghanistan. And it was Shoigu who gave him these materials. Tell me, is it really so, in your opinion?
I was not present at the transfer of this video, unfortunately (smiles). Indeed, Shoigu is very close to Putin. But he did not fly alone, because it was a failure of the Foreign Intelligence Service and the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of Russia. The fact that Putin was given unreliable information that Ukraine would fall, but, on the contrary, it rose, and strong young patriots stood up, women began to knit camouflage nets, children began to draw pictures, and everyone went to fight, knowing that they were going to die , - this is what he did not expect!
- That is, Putin was pushed to an adventure?
Of course.
- And he understood it?
Putin is a shrewd and experienced man.
- Quick questions - short answers. Is the Ukrainian army combat-ready today?
For this, a lot of work still needs to be done. And not only the army, but the whole country.
- Are there many traitors recruited by the Russians in the Ukrainian army today?
I do not rule this out, because from time to time court decisions appear in the press on cases of sovereignty.
- Corruption in the Ukrainian army today is great?
I do not know this, but I believe that tough measures are being taken to prevent it.
- Crimea and Donbass will return to Ukraine, in your opinion?
I believe in it. But for this, Ukraine needs to be an example for Crimea and Donbass.
In Russia, you probably have many friends with whom you served, in particular, in the Soviet army. Can you find a common language with them?
No. I had friends with whom I was related by blood, fought, studied and served, and they are all quite high-ranking officials, but on February 28, 2014, I called them for the last time. And on March 3, there was an appeal directly from the Crimea, from Perevalnoye through the press (which for some reason gathered very quickly) to Defense Minister Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Gerasimov. After that, for more than three years I did not have and cannot have a single conversation or phone call with them.
- Do you miss them?
Some I really appreciated and respected.
You are fond of memoirs and historical literature. What books have made the greatest impression on you?
There are memoirs, but there are theoretical developments, and so on. I will quickly list. Of course, Sun Tzu is a Chinese strategist who lived in the 6th century BC. Today, charters can be written according to his works. Roman general Marius. His developments in the structure of the army are used all over the world now. Next - General Clausewitz, our Sagaidachny. You read his letters, correspondence - this is an amazing commander. Also Triandafilov, Shaposhnikov, Zhukov. The only thing is that it was impossible to read Zhukov, Konev and Rokossovsky before - everything is permeated with party spirit. Next - Rommel, the Americans Bradley and Patton. And the book of lieutenant colonel de Gaulle of 1934 made the greatest impression on me!
- Was Zhukov great? Yes or no?
Undoubtedly.
You are a general of the Ukrainian army. Your father was a major general, he finished the war in Germany, as part of the Soviet army. What is Victory Day for you, and when do you celebrate it?
For me, this is a holy day. My parents went through the whole war together, liberated Ukraine, participated in the Korsun-Shevchenko operation. His father was the commander of a reconnaissance battalion, and his mother was a doctor with him. They liberated Zvenigorodka, where they got married. 30 years lived together. My grandfather served in the same battalion as a soldier. Therefore, no one will convince me of anything and will not break me.
- What date do you celebrate Victory Day?
9th May! And this is for the rest of your life. And I go to the Alley of Glory, to the Museum of the Great Patriotic War and, like on June 22, I go to the Bukrinsky bridgehead, where, according to various sources, up to 200,000 of our soldiers are lying. Read Churchill's six-volume book "Second World War". He gives an estimate Soviet Union, the Red Army, the role of a Soviet soldier (at that time - a Red Army soldier) in a great victory.
Alexander Ivanovich, I want to thank you for a sincere, good, honest interview and shake your hand not only as an army general, former defense minister, but also as an honest soldier. Thank you.
Thank you, Dmitry Ilyich.
VIDEO
Video: 112 Ukraine / YouTube
Recorded by Victoria Dobrovolskaya
What do we know about the crash over the Black Sea on October 4, 2001 - this is a “severe plane crash that occurred on October 4, 2001. Tu-154M crashed over the Black Sea ( registration number RA-85693, factory 91A866) of Siberia Airlines, operating flight SBI1812 en route Tel Aviv - Novosibirsk.
According to the conclusion of the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC), at an altitude of 11,000 meters, the plane was unintentionally shot down by a Ukrainian S-200 anti-aircraft missile fired into the air as part of military exercises held on the Crimean peninsula. All 66 passengers and 12 crew members died."
Here is everything we know about this disaster:
It seems that everything is simple and clear Ukrainian air defense during the exercises, which was attended by the President of Ukraine Kuchma, shot down a Russian plane.
It turns out that not everything is so simple in the events of that tragic day.
If you dig a little into the history of the issue, it turns out that the Russian and Ukrainian military conducted training firing at the range of the 31st Research Center of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation at Cape Opuk: in the presence of delegations from 7 states. Ground-based anti-aircraft missile systems S-200, S-300, S-125, complexes Buk, Kub, Ukrainian ships frigate "Sagaydachny" and corvette "Lutsk", as well as the ship of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation "Inquisitive", equipped with anti-aircraft missile systems " Wasp", took part in firing at the Tu-143 unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, known as the "Flight" target. A total of 23 missiles were fired at targets.
Flight SBI1812 departed from international airport named after David Ben-Gurion at 8:00 UTC (10:00 Israel time). At 09:39 UTC, the aircraft entered the area of responsibility No. 7 of the North Caucasus Center for Automated Control air traffic(SCC AUVD) "Strela" and the crew informed the controller about the passage of the obligatory ODIRA reporting point. The flight was carried out at an altitude of 11,100 meters within the B-145 international airway, which was not subject to any restrictions, including temporary ones that were in effect during the exercise of the Russian and Ukrainian air defense forces.
At 09:45 UTC (13:45 Moscow time), the tape recorder of the Strela ATC SCC recorded a sound signal corresponding to the crew's access to external communication, accompanied by an emotional scream. Subsequently, within 45 seconds, several more signals were recorded from pressing the onboard VHF radio button by the crew members, followed by noises and screams of the crew members (including the phrase “... where did it go (o) ...”), indicating a sudden occurrence on board the aircraft emergency ship. Almost simultaneously with the first press, the controller noted the disappearance of the aircraft tag from the radar screens. The plane at that time was at an altitude of 11 kilometers, about 200 kilometers southwest of the city of Sochi. At the same time, the crew of the An-24 aircraft of Armenian Airlines, located in the same area, reported a flash over it.
The coordinates of the approximate crash site were determined at 42°11′ s. sh. 37°37′ E which is about 280 kilometers from Novorossiysk.
For the layman, everything seems obvious at first glance, but it turns out that not everything is so simple.
During the investigation, the following facts were established:
At 13:42 Moscow time, the radiation of the radar equipment of the S-200V complex of the Ukrainian air defense was stopped.
According to the control data of the Russian radar station "Gelendzhik" dated October 4, 2001, a 5V28 ZRK S 200V missile was observed in the airspace 30 seconds before the explosion at a distance of 50 km from the crash site.
The report states that the Tu-143 "Reis" target was destroyed three minutes before the Tu-154 crash by the fire of the Russian S-300 PS air defense system, located 11 km from the Ukrainian S-200V air defense system.
And here everything turns out to be clear, one has only to look at the performance characteristics of the missiles of the S-200 and S-300 air defense systems.
The first thing that catches your eye is that the missile of the Ukrainian S-200 air defense system technically could not overcome the distance of 50 km to the Tu-154 aircraft in 30 seconds. S-200 missile flight speed: 700-1200 m/s, depending on range. That is, the maximum distance where the missile of the Ukrainian S-200 air defense system could fly in 30 seconds is 36 km. Let me remind you that the distance from the Ukrainian S-200 missile to the Tu-154 30 seconds before the explosion was 50 km.
The S-200 air defense system uses a passive missile targeting system, and the S-300 air defense system uses a semi-active missile targeting system. This means that the S-200 air defense missile of the Ukrainian air defense could hit the aircraft only if the ground-based radar illuminated the target, and as established by the investigation, Ukrainian radar equipment was turned off three minutes before the explosion. That is, it turns out that the missile of the Ukrainian S-200 air defense system was not aimed at the target or it had already hit the Tu-143 Reis target.
And the S-300 air defense missile has a more modern semi-active guidance system that allows the missile itself to aim at the target without using illumination from the Earth.
Through a brief analysis, it can be assumed that the Tu-154 aircraft of the AK Sibir was shot down by a Russian air defense S-300 missile, which captured the aircraft as a target after the Ukrainian S-200 SAM system shot down the target.
Against the backdrop of such a confusing story, it is also very strange that the investigation of this plane crash was not carried out by the ICAO international commission, but by a commission of representatives from Russia and Ukraine led by Secretary of the Russian Security Council Vladimir Rushailo. It feels like the killers were investigating a murder that they themselves committed.
An indirect recognition that Ukraine was not involved in the death of the aircraft AK "Siberia" is the speech of Vladimir Putin immediately after the crash on the evening of October 4, 2001. Vladimir Putin said that the Ukrainian air defense forces could not shoot down the Russian Tu-154 aircraft that crashed on Thursday in the Black Sea during the exercises. "Firstly, all the necessary services in Ukraine were informed 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," Putin said. .
Another question arises: Why did Kuchma finally admit that the Ukrainian air defenses shot down the plane?
I have only one answer to him - Kuchma received good money for admitting guilt for Putin. Don't forget that in 2001 Putin just got away with the scandal with the nuclear submarine "Kursk", and then there is a loud scandal with the death of Israeli citizens. So I had to persuade Kuchma and his military to take responsibility for dead people. Indirect evidence of this is the fact that the court of Ukraine confirmed the innocence of the military in the crash of the Tu-154 in 2001.
Experts deny that the Russian Tu-154, which crashed into the Black Sea in 2001, was shot down by a Ukrainian missile!
The crash of flight MH-17 in the Donetsk region brought to mind the tragedy of 2001, when a plane of Siberia Airlines exploded over the Black Sea. The Russian side blamed Ukrainian rocket scientists for both disasters. Their involvement in the downing of the Malaysian Boeing has already been refuted by the preliminary findings of the international commission. But the investigation into the Tu-154 crash has attracted much less attention, and even in Ukraine its key findings are virtually unknown.
15 years ago, on October 4, 2001, an airliner of Siberia Airlines crashed over the Black Sea, operating flight SBI-1812 en route Tel Aviv - Novosibirsk. 66 passengers and 12 crew members died. According to the conclusion of the Interstate Aviation Committee, the plane was unintentionally shot down by a missile of the Ukrainian S-200 complex, launched during the exercises. Ukraine paid the relatives of the dead passengers, but refused to admit its guilt in the incident.
A year ago, in November 2015, relatives of passengers on flight SBI-1812 asked the president and the Russian prosecutor general to reopen the investigation into the crash. The authors of the letter compared the 2001 plane crash with the downing of the Malaysian Boeing in 2014 and called Ukraine's claims of non-involvement in both accidents "hypocritical and deceitful."
Bird In Flight has collected the most important of the little-known details of the Tu-154 crash.
1. The plane exploded in the area of responsibility of Russia
Joint exercises on firing from ground-based and ship-based anti-aircraft missile systems were held at the training ground of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation at Cape Opuk in Crimea. A total of 23 missiles were fired. The Ukrainian authorities closed the firing sector for flights within their jurisdiction. The plane of Siberia Airlines exploded and crashed in the area of responsibility of the Russian North Caucasus Air Traffic Control Center, which did not prohibit the passage of passenger flights in the area.
2. Tu-154 did not give a mandatory nationality identification signal “I am mine”
According to the rules, the crew of flight SBI-1812 was supposed to turn on the nationality identification system 400 kilometers from the borders of the CIS, but it was silent all the time of the flight until the crash.
If the plane gave the signal “I am mine”, it would be fixed by the antenna of the S-200 complex. In this case, live firing is prohibited, and the "Start" command is blocked automatically.
3. Russian President Vladimir Putin denied the involvement of the Ukrainian military in the fall of the Tu-154
On the day of the disaster, Vladimir Putin said that the Ukrainian air defense forces could not shoot down the Tu-154 during the exercises: “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.” "It is possible that this was the result of a terrorist attack," he said at a meeting with EU justice ministers.
4. The version about the hit by a Ukrainian missile became the main one after reports that the US administration had evidence of this. None of the participants in the investigation of the disaster saw them
S-200 is a Soviet long-range anti-aircraft missile system. Designed to defend large areas from bombers and other strategic aircraft. In service since 1967. The missile is aimed at the target using the target illumination radar beam reflected from the target. The mass of the warhead is 220 kg. Contains 90 kg of explosive and 37,000 steel balls.
Already on October 4, the Kyodo Tsushin news agency, CBS and CNN television companies, citing sources in the US government, announced that there was evidence of the Tu-154 being hit by a surface-to-air missile. After that, the Ukrainian authorities recognized the conduct of air defense exercises on the day of the disaster, and the version of the terrorist attack faded into the background.
The US authorities have never officially reported what evidence was at issue, and did not provide it to the participants in the investigation.
5. Steel balls and holes were found in the wreckage of the aircraft, similar in size to the striking elements of the S-200 missile. This led the Ukrainian authorities to accept responsibility for the incident. Examination called into question the weight of the evidence
Five balls and 460 holes were found in Tu-154 fragments raised from the sea, the size of which approximately corresponds to the diameter (9–12 mm) of the striking elements of the missile warhead fired by the Ukrainian military on October 4, 2001.
However, during the consideration of the case in the courts it was established:
- the warhead of such a rocket is equipped with steel balls; they are used in bearings and sold freely;
- only traces of TNT were found on the balls, although the explosive substance of the rocket warhead consists of 20% of it, and 80% of hexogen;
- fragments of the aircraft have round holes smaller in diameter than rocket shrapnel;
- in the elements of the ceiling, among others, there are holes formed by the hit of the ball from the inside of the cabin, from the bottom up.
People Israeli airport named after Ben-Gurion respond to a message about the crash of the flight Tel Aviv - Novosibirsk. Most of the 64 passengers were Israeli citizens. Photo: Ariel Schalit / AFP / East News
6 Missing: Missile fragments, aircraft outer skin, black boxes
During search operations in the Black Sea, fragments of an 11-meter rocket were not found, although a significant part of it was made of floating materials.
None of the 404 lifted aircraft fragments belong to the outer skin. It was not possible to find the fuselage at the bottom using an echo sounder. Therefore, it is impossible to determine exactly whether the steel balls came into the cabin from outside.
7. The Russian radar complex in Gelendzhik 30 seconds before the explosion recorded an unknown object at a distance of 50 kilometers from the Tu-154. If it was a Ukrainian missile, it would not have been able to reach the aircraft
At a distance of more than 150-200 kilometers from the launch complex, after running out of fuel, the speed of the 5V28 rocket drops to 1 km / s, and at a distance of 250 kilometers - to 870 m / s. The plane crashed 240 kilometers from the missile launch point. That is, it would fly a segment of 50 kilometers in at least 50 seconds.
8. The version about aiming the rocket at the radiation of mobile phones of Tu-154 passengers remained unverified
According to a participant in the investigation, Lieutenant General Valeriy Kaminsky (in 2001, the head of the Main Headquarters of the Air Defense Forces of Ukraine), to capture a target at a distance of 30 kilometers, the homing head of the S-200 missile needs a radiation power of 0.35 W, moreover, mobile phones of that time emitted up to 2 watts.
The Ukrainian side was ready to test the version: to launch the Tu-154 with the included gadgets on board along the route of flight SBI-1812 and track it with air defense systems. However, Russia categorically refused the experiment.
9. The point of explosion of the missile determined by the Interstate Aviation Committee - behind, to the left and 15 meters above the aircraft body - does not correspond to the principle of guidance of the S-200 missile
The computing unit directs the 5V28 missile ahead of time to the point of the intended meeting in the direction of the target. Therefore, the explosion occurs in the area of the nose of the aircraft.
By the same principle, missiles of the Buk air defense system are aimed. Boeing 777 Malaysia Airlines Airlines in 2014 was hit over the Donetsk region by a rocket that exploded to the left and above the cockpit.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon before a special meeting of the Knesset in memory of the victims of the disaster on October 4, 2011. Photo: Menahem Kahana / AFP / East News
Agreement for the Settlement of Claims Arising from the 4 October 2001 Air Crash
Government of Ukraine and Government of the State of Israel<...>noting that Ukraine recognizes the Air Disaster as a terrible human tragedy and expressed deep regret over the loss of life; noting that Ukraine has not acknowledged any legal obligations or liability in connection with the Air Crash; Having reached agreement on the financial and legal terms of the settlement, we have agreed as follows…
10. The guilt of Ukraine has not been proven, not recognized and is not confirmed by payments to the families of the dead passengers
In October 2001, Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma apologized for what happened and fired Defense Minister Kuzmuk. He was guided by the conclusions of the commission to investigate the disaster, headed by the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Vladimir Rushailo, but continued to call the disaster the result of a "fatal combination of circumstances."
$200 thousand for each deceased passenger were paid to Israel and Russia under the ex gratia formula - for humanitarian reasons, without admitting guilt. No claims were made against Ukraine at the interstate level.
In 2007, the General Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine finally closed the criminal case on the fact of the crash, finding no evidence that the Tu-154 was shot down by a Ukrainian missile.
In 2008, the Pechersky District Court of Kyiv refused compensation for moral damages to the head of the Fund for Assistance to the Families of the Victims, Boris Kalinovsky, and the Belonogov family, who refused to receive $200,000. They did not appeal.
In 2011, after seven years of consideration, the claim for damages was denied to Siberia Airlines. The Supreme Economic Court of Ukraine upheld the decision. The airline announced its intention to apply to the European Court of Human Rights, but did not take advantage of this opportunity.
In the same way as in the story with the Boeing MH-17, shot down in the summer of 2014, Kyiv bluffed and played "non-consciousness" with the downed on October 4, 2001 by the Russian plane of the Tel Aviv-Novosibirsk flight.In connection with the announcement by the Netherlands of the “preliminary results” of the investigation into the crash of the Malaysian Boeing, in connection with which Ukraine, which is a member of the commission, did not provide any radar data, or communications from dispatchers, or any other information necessary for the investigation, it can be stated that there is another , the second Ukrainian falsification. And its purpose is obvious - to cover up the traces of your own crime.
BLACK THURSDAY
The first similar crime was committed exactly 15 years ago. Then, during the exercises of the Ukrainian air defense forces, instead of a training target, a Ukrainian S-200 missile in the sky over the Black Sea shot down a Tu-154 passenger airliner of the Russian Siberia Airlines.
The tragedy occurred on October 4, 2001 with a Tu-154 aircraft with tail number RA-85693, which took off from David Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, performing flight SBI 1812. All 78 people on board died - 66 passengers and 12 crew members (27 Russian citizens and 51 Israeli citizens).
Kyiv's attempts to pass off the Tu-154 crash as an "attack of international terrorism" were unsuccessful. And although the "black boxes" at the bottom of the Black Sea were not found, the commission of the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) found that the destruction of the aircraft of the Russian airline "Siberia" was caused by the external impact of solid elements with a diameter of about 10 mm. And that the liner at an altitude of 11,000 meters was hit by an S-200 anti-aircraft missile launched by Ukrainian air defense forces located on the Crimean peninsula.
It was indicated that the Tu-154 was shot down unintentionally from the firing range at Cape Opuk during the practice of firing anti-aircraft missile systems. Apparently, the reason was the error of the air defense system operator, who incorrectly identified the target.
Unwittingly, the Americans also helped. Thanks to the leak of information from military sources, within a few hours, US television companies reported that the Russian airliner was shot down by a missile of the Ukrainian air defense system S-200, launched during military exercises.
THE GAME OF UNCONSCIOUSNESS
Nevertheless, for a long time Ukraine refused to admit the obvious and denied the involvement of its military personnel in the death of the aircraft. And this is despite the fact that the very next day after the tragedy, on October 5, the Prime Minister of Ukraine said that the version of a Ukrainian missile hitting the plane of Siberia Airlines "has the right to exist." And on October 12, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, commenting on the preliminary results of the investigation, admitted that the Ukrainian missile "could be the cause of the death of the Tu-154."
The next day, October 13, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksandr Kuzmuk apologized to the families and friends of the victims, saying:
“We know that we are involved in the tragedy, although its causes have not yet been fully established.”
Soon after the tragedy, almost the entire leadership of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine “resigned”, including Kuzmuk himself. Apparently, for excessive frankness ...
In 2005, Kyiv "reluctantly" paid compensation to the relatives of the victims. But then again he "turned the shafts" by 180 degrees and began to "play unconscious." The conclusions of Ukrainian experts were put forward, one more absurd than the other. Foaming at the mouth, they claimed that the S-200 air defense system could not hit the Tu-154 of Siberia Airlines!
In the summer of 2011, the Kyiv court refused to satisfy the claim of the Russian airline Siberia in the case of the crash of the Russian airliner. Proving the "validity" of the arguments of Ukrainian experts, the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine closed the criminal case. In January 2011, the Kyiv Court of Appeal determined that MAK investigators "failed to prove that the plane was shot down by a Ukrainian missile."
FALSIFICATIONS, FORGERY, NON-PROVISION OF DATA
The reasons for the first tragedy with the Tu-154 in 2001, and the second with the Malaysian Boeing in 2014, seem quite obvious. The sky over Ukraine in the area of the exercises (in the first case) and in the area of hostilities (in the second) was not closed. And foreign states conducting flights of civilian airliners in this square were not warned of the danger.
Former SBU colonel Sergey Balabanov, who was present at the firing range at Cape Opuk on October 4, 2001, and then conducted an investigation from the Ukrainian side, admitted after 15 years:
"The civil aircraft of the Russian airline Siberia" was in the firing sector of the training target and had a radial speed close to it, as a result of which it was detected by the S-200 air defense system and mistakenly taken for an identified target."
Today, in an attempt to evade responsibility in the story with the Boeing MH-17, Kyiv uses exactly the same methods as in the situation with the Tu-154 - it is engaged in falsification, forgery, and does not provide available data and documents. And all this - with the active support of the West.
Both then and now, the Kyiv authorities are trying to deny the obvious and deny their involvement in these two tragedies, in the deaths of hundreds of innocent people.
