SImultaneous Plane Crashes in Russia?

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Per AP report and Fox, via dKos diary

― g@bbneb (gabbneb), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 21:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Initial BBC report:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3596354.stm

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 21:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Reuters:

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=KOTIEDAHJH2ZWCRBAE0CFEY?type=worldNews&storyID=6059892

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 21:05 (twenty-one years ago)

The planes disappeared within 4 minutes of one another. There had been a minor bomb blast, suspected to be terrorism, at a Moscow bus stop four hours earlier.

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 21:27 (twenty-one years ago)

a russian friend of mine who just moves here says that russians and eastern europeans think that the russo - georgian conflict will lead to wwiii
if they know something we don't... let's hope it wasn't georgians that did it.

― firstworldman (firstworldman), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 21:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Everyone seems to be reporting 'two crashes' while stating that the second plane is known only to have disappeared, not to have crashed.

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 21:54 (twenty-one years ago)

AL QAEDA!! END OF THE WORLD!!!

― Wooden (Wooden), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 22:14 (twenty-one years ago)

this post in the kos diary says that Putin is vacationing in the destination of the second, missing, plane. Is this why there's like a news blackout on this?

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 22:27 (twenty-one years ago)

the CNN story says Putin has been notified. it should be noted that the second plane went missing 5.5 hours ago.

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 22:29 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah... at what point do russian's get pissed that the plane is still listed as missing? how can that be?

― firstworldman (firstworldman), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 22:33 (twenty-one years ago)

because it's NIGHTTIME there?

― hstencil (hstencil), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 22:39 (twenty-one years ago)

tiny bit more at MSNBC

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 22:46 (twenty-one years ago)

AL QAEDA!! END OF THE WORLD!!!

Bollocks. Just keep a watch out for the first person to link this to Iran.

― James Mitchell (James Mitchell), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 00:02 (twenty-one years ago)

In fact, initial reports from the Associated Press already have jackhammered the Iranian link into our skulls.

Both planes were Tupolev Tu-154 jets, the standard medium-range airliner on domestic flights in Russia, other former Soviet states, Iran and parts of eastern Europe, according to the Web site Airliners.net.

The spooky Mulders amongst us will freak out at the fact that the mention of Iran has been taken out of current reports.

― James Mitchell (James Mitchell), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 00:11 (twenty-one years ago)

that's a fnord if i've ever seen one

― purple patch (electricsound), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 00:30 (twenty-one years ago)

I think this would more likely be attributed to Chechens.

The quote about the Iran above simply means that Iranian airlines operate that aircraft type.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 00:33 (twenty-one years ago)

The quote about the Iran above simply means that Iranian airlines operate that aircraft type.

Actually, Iran Air Tours uses the Tupolev Tu-154M, were which manufactured in 1992. The ones that have crashed in Russia would have been at least 20 years older. It's like comparing apples and clocks.

― James Mitchell (James Mitchell), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 00:38 (twenty-one years ago)

...which is probably why the fact was taken out of the story. Someone got it wrong. But why mention Iran in the first place?

― James Mitchell (James Mitchell), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 00:40 (twenty-one years ago)

The bit about where the airliner is used is lifted from Airliners.net. Also, I don't think most news outlets would make a distinction between various flavors of the same jet. I don't think there's any Iran subtext to this story at all.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 00:44 (twenty-one years ago)

aren't Chechen militants like mujahideen - broader than Al Qaeda, but Al Qaeda is involved?

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 00:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Would Chechen responsibility come as a relief?

― Jimmy Mod, Man About Towne (ModJ), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 01:15 (twenty-one years ago)

I wouldn't blame the Chechens just yet. The Georgian President threatened to go to war with Russia yesterday.

Also, Russian internet experts reckon terrorists will try to disable the internet within two days. Anyone reckon this is related?

― James Mitchell (James Mitchell), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 02:36 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't think these things are related at all.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 02:41 (twenty-one years ago)

CNN says they found the second wreckage and that one of the planes issued a 'hijack' warning signal before it crashed.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 02:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Bummer

― Jimmy Mod, Man About Towne (ModJ), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 03:14 (twenty-one years ago)

that article about the georgian president is bizarre. he apparently begins by saying war between georgia and russia is imminent, then follows with some conciliatory gestures.

given the damage the russian army has wrought in chechnya (and earlier in aghanistan), for the georgian president to tell his people they should "be prepared" is just grotesque.

can someone explain this situation to me a bit better than the american dailies have been doing? why does russia support ossetia's bid for independence from georgia? does russia simply want to destabilize georgia? is there a broader national-ethnic component? (as in, russian supporting ossetia is consistent with the idea of a greater russia elsewhere, etc.?)

― amateur!!!st (amateurist), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 04:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Now they're saying that it's not only possible that one of the airplanes was heading for Putin's vacation home, but also that the passengers may have taken control of the plane and crashed it on purpose.

Perhaps the Russian expression for "Let's Roll!" will be featured on the bumpers of Moscow cars hereafter.

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Friday, 27 August 2004 16:05 (twenty-one years ago)

i think russia just tries to keep as much influence over georgia as it possibly can. If that means inciting territories to claim autonomy, then so be it. The threat of destabilisation is more important than actually doing so. any arms etc in northern ossetia are provided by Russia, so its like a 'subtle' (subtle for russians) reminder that georgia better not forget about their neighbours....

― ambrose (ambrose), Friday, 27 August 2004 16:47 (twenty-one years ago)

MOSCOW, Aug. 27 — Russia's security service announced today that investigators found traces of explosives in the wreckage of one of the two passenger airliners that crashed simultaneously on Tuesday night, indicating that it crashed because of a terrorist act even as an Islamic extremist group claimed its fighters had hijacked the planes to avenge the deaths of Muslims in the war in Chechnya.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/27/international/europe/27CND-RUSS.html?hp

― dave225 (Dave225), Friday, 27 August 2004 17:23 (twenty-one years ago)

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