“Unless it’s collective insanity. “Is it perhaps collective madness? The crash of Tu 154 over the Black Sea

Experts from the Russian Ministry of Defense completed a complete decryption of the black boxes and were able to name the final cause, which occurred on December 25, 2016 over the Black Sea. According to experts, this happened due to a combination of factors - the plane was overloaded and the co-pilot made a mistake while controlling the aircraft, writes L!FE.

Air Force

According to the source, investigators consider the notorious human factor. According to experts, the problem with the flaps, which caused the plane to suddenly lose altitude, was directly related to the error of the co-pilot passenger plane, 33-year-old Alexander Rovensky.

“In the third minute of the flight, when the Tu-154 was at an altitude of 450 m above sea level, the sensors of the directional stability system were activated. As a result, the car began to sharply lose altitude due to problems with the flaps. As a result, the airliner went into an extreme angle of attack, the crew all I tried to turn the car around in order to reach the ground, but I didn’t have time to do this,” says a source familiar with the investigation into the causes of the plane crash in Sochi.

Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

Experts are confident that the reason for the failure of the aircraft mechanism was a trivial one - when the plane took off, instead of the landing gear, it pulled the wrong lever and removed the flaps. This is the main version of the reasons for the tragedy in which the members of the Alexandrov ensemble, the legendary and 9 journalists from Russian TV channels, who flew to Syrian Latakia to give a charity concert to the military from the Russian Federation who were forced to New Year serve in Syria.

The Ministry of Defense also adds that the situation was then aggravated by another factor - the overload of the aircraft. In the luggage compartment of the Tu-154 everything was filled to capacity. Therefore, the tail part of the airliner was pulled down.

Air Force

According to experts, it was impossible to save the car - there was not enough speed and height. The tail section touched the water first, and then the Tu-154 high speed hit the sea with its right wing and collapsed, resulting in the death of all on board. The source emphasizes that the emergency situation came as a complete surprise to the crew: in the first seconds, the aircraft commander, 35-year-old Major Roman Volkov, and co-pilot Alexander Rovensky were confused, but quickly pulled themselves together and last seconds tried to save the plane.

At the same time, experts from the Russian Ministry of Defense consider the announced cause of the Tu-154 crash to be premature. Experts emphasize that a colossal amount of work still remains to collect and lay out the wreckage of the liner in order to talk about the exact causes of the tragedy.

Let us remind you that the plane crash in Sochi occurred on December 25, 2016. A Tu-154 aircraft of the Russian Ministry of Defense crashed over the Black Sea at 5:40 am Moscow time, 1.7 km from the coast of Sochi. The plane, which carried 92 people, was flying to Syrian Khmeimim from the Chkalovsky airfield, and in Sochi it was just refueling. A few minutes after lifting off from the runway, the plane disappeared from radar screens.

Doctor Lisa

The list of passengers published by the Ministry of Defense includes the director of the international organization “Fair Aid” Elizaveta Glinka (also known as Doctor Lisa). According to an Interfax source, Glinka flew on board this plane from Moscow to Sochi, but was not heading to Syria.

The foundation's statement notes that Glinka actually took off on this flight: she accompanied a humanitarian cargo for the Tishrin hospital in Latakia. “The IGO “Fair Help” does not have any information in connection with the disaster,” it says.

Doctor Lisa's husband, lawyer Gleb Glinka, told Snob that his wife was on board at the time of the crash. There is no other confirmation of this information.

The website of the Human Rights Council under the President, of which Glinka was a member, published a statement by its head, Mikhail Fedotov, in which he confirmed that Doctor Lisa was supposed to take medicines to a hospital in Latakia.

“Dr. Lisa was everyone's favorite. And there was a reason: for many years, she provided palliative medical care almost every day, fed the homeless, clothed them, and gave them shelter. It was she who took sick and wounded children from Donbass under bullets so that they could get help in the best hospitals in Moscow and St. Petersburg. It was she who organized a shelter for children with amputated limbs, where they undergo rehabilitation after hospital,” the statement said.

What did Doctor Lisa do?

Elizaveta Glinka gained all-Russian fame after, during major forest fires in the European part of Russia organized a collection of aid for the benefit of victims. The foundation provided humanitarian aid and equipment to fire victims and volunteer firefighters. In 2012, the Doctor Lisa Foundation organized a collection of humanitarian aid for flood victims in Krymsk (Krasnodar Territory). Together with TV presenter Ksenia Sobchak, Elizaveta Glinka organized a charity auction, which raised more than 16 million rubles for flood victims.

Humanitarian assistance during military conflicts

After the outbreak of the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, Glinka took part in providing assistance to people living in eastern Ukraine. She repeatedly traveled to Donbass during hostilities and brought from there to Moscow children in need of treatment, and also donated medicine and humanitarian aid. In total, since March 2014, Doctor Lisa has visited Donbass almost 20 times.

During the war in Syria, Glinka traveled to the country on humanitarian missions - she was involved in the delivery and distribution of medicines, organizing medical care for the civilian population.

Disaster investigation

Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Vladimir Putin was promptly informed about the incident. The President, according to Peskov, is in constant contact with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who held a video conference with the leadership of the Armed Forces to organize search and rescue operations. The Ministry of Defense commission to investigate the plane crash flew to Adler early in the morning.

The President instructed Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to form a state commission to investigate the Tu-154 crash. The commission was headed by Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov. December 26 has been declared a day of mourning.

A criminal case under the article “Violation of flight rules or preparation for them” (Article 351 of the Criminal Code) was opened by the Investigative Committee. As the official representative of the department, Svetlana Petrenko, told RBC, a group of employees from the central office of the Investigative Committee, who have extensive experience in investigating aviation accidents, were sent to Sochi. According to the head of the press service of the Main Military Prosecutor's Office, Natalia Zemskova, a joint group of employees of the supervisory agency and the Ministry of Defense also flew to Sochi.

Emergency services discovered an oil slick 6-8 km from the coast in the Black Sea. The wreckage of the plane was found at a depth of 50-70 m, one and a half kilometers from the coast. Personal belongings of passengers are found 12-14 km from the coast; the first body was found 6 km from the coast.

The head of the monitoring service of the central joint All-Russian Water Rescue Society, Vladimir Gritsikhin, believes that the wreckage of the Tu-154, under favorable conditions, can be lifted from the bottom in a week. “The depth of 50-70 m is not great; it is quite possible to carefully lift large fragments with soft pontoons. The depth is such that it is unlikely that anyone will be saved, but it is possible to recover all the fragments of the plane. I think that everything can be extracted in a week if the services work in time. The Ministry of Emergency Situations has good specialists, if they call, we will get involved,” he told TASS.

This is the fifth plane crash involving a Tu-154 in the last ten years.

On January 1, 2011, a Tu-154 B-2 aircraft flying from Surgut to Moscow caught fire on the runway. 134 passengers and crew members were evacuated, three people were killed and about 40 were injured. The plane was completely burned out.

On April 10, 2010, the Tu-154 of the President of Poland, flying from Warsaw to Smolensk, crashed while landing at the Severny military airfield in the Smolensk region. 89 passengers and eight crew members, including Polish President Lech Kaczynski, were killed.

On July 15, 2009, a Tu-154 crashed in Iran while flying from Tehran to Yerevan. There were 153 people on board the plane plus 15 crew members; the passengers included mainly citizens of Armenia, as well as Iran and Georgia. They all died.

On August 22, 2006, a Tu-154M flying from Anapa to St. Petersburg lost control and fell into a flat tailspin. The plane crashed near settlement Sukhaya Balka near Donetsk. 160 passengers died, including 49 children and ten crew members.

Versions of what happened

The official reasons for the plane crash have not yet been announced. Roshydrometcenter notes that weather conditions in the area of the crash on the morning of December 25 were normal and easy for piloting the aircraft. An Interfax source in the emergency services stated that one of the versions of the plane crash is that a bird got into the Tu-154 engine (near Sochi there is a station for migratory birds and an ornithological park). In addition, according to the source, versions of a technical malfunction of the Tu-154 and the possible refueling of the aircraft with low-quality fuel are being considered. According to a RIA Novosti source, the cause of the crash could have been a crew error.

“If a bird had been hit, the crew would have had the opportunity to report to the ground. After takeoff, the crew gained a sufficient altitude; birds don’t fly at that altitude,” flight safety specialist Alexander Romanov emphasized in a conversation with RBC, pointing out that he considers a terrorist attack to be one of the most likely versions of what happened.

Fontanka in the Ministry of Defense notes that the FSB has joined the investigation. Special service officers are checking everyone who might have approached the ship at the Chkalovsky military airport and in Adler. Security forces are working on a version of a terrorist attack. This information is confirmed by RBC’s interlocutor in the FSB. According to him, we are talking about a standard check that is carried out in such cases. The FSB public relations center was officially unable to either confirm or deny information about a possible terrorist attack.

“If there was an instant loss of communication with the crew, then it was most likely an explosion of the plane or a collision in the air with some object,” Yuri Sytnikov, a member of the Presidential Commission for the Development of General Aviation, told RBC.

“The plane was landing for refueling, in this case many technical services approached the plane, so people had the opportunity to put an explosive device in the compartments,” Romanov is sure.

According to Honored Test Pilot Hero of Russia Yuri Vashchuk, equipment failure is unlikely. He believes that an incident on board the plane could have led to the disaster.

Kommersant correspondent in Krasnodar region reports that at the time of the crash none of the local residents I didn’t hear the explosion or see the flash.

Interfax's source in law enforcement agencies excludes the possibility of a terrorist attack. “Apparently, when the aircraft collided with the water surface, a water hammer occurred, which resulted in a large scattering of debris,” the agency’s source said.

“This happened after takeoff, when the landing gear and flaps are retracted. There are a lot of technical things that can happen here. As a result, the plane may simply roll over due to its low speed,” noted Honored Test Pilot of the USSR Viktor Zabolotsky in a conversation with RBC.

“For three engines to fail at once, something supernatural must happen. The failure of even one engine is a critical situation, but I don’t think it could lead to a disaster. Something happened on board, to which the pilots did not have time to react. This, for example, happened with the crash of a passenger plane over Egypt. The plane depressurized at lightning speed, and it lost control,” Vashchuk told RBC.

The president of the Association of Veterans of the Alpha anti-terrorism unit, Sergei Goncharov, told RBC that a version of a terrorist attack may exist, but not as a priority. “This is a Ministry of Defense aircraft, it is serviced at high level verified people. All the people who knew each other were on the plane; there were no strangers. The plane did not fly over the sea for so long, and if there had been an explosion, one of the eyewitnesses would have heard it,” Goncharov noted.

There were no complaints about the plane

The crashed Tu-154 was produced more than 30 years ago, but “there were no complaints about its technical condition,” an Interfax source in the emergency services told Interfax. Before departure, the plane was in good working order; in general, the Tu-154 was operated “in a gentle manner.”

The Ministry of Defense said that the last repair of the airliner took place in December 2014, RIA Novosti reports. The crashed aircraft was piloted by first class pilot Roman Volkov, who had flown more than 3,000 hours.

The Tu-154 that crashed near Sochi underwent three major repairs during its operation, the press service of the Russian Machines corporation told TASS. “The Tu-154 aircraft number 85572 was produced on March 29, 1983 at the Kuibyshev aircraft plant (now the Aviakor aircraft plant). The last, third overhaul of the aircraft took place at Aviakor in December 2014. Since the completion of this overhaul, Aviakor has not received any requests from the operator for scheduled periodic maintenance of the aircraft or extension of resources. Accordingly, Aviakor did not provide maintenance for this aircraft,” the company said in a statement.

After the plane crash, Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov said that the decision to decommission Tu-154 aircraft “would be premature.” “The service life of this aircraft today is 40 years, and if we take foreign analogues, then some aircraft have a service life of up to 60 years, so in aviation there are completely different principles for assigning a resource, the question of operating time before the cycle,” Manturov noted.

Since the early 2000s, the Tu-154 has been decommissioned almost everywhere.

S7 Airlines was the first to announce the withdrawal of Soviet-made aircraft - Tu-154 and Il-86 - from its fleets. In November 2009, St. Petersburg-based Rossiya Airlines stopped flying the Tu-154. The carrier replaced these aircraft with Boeing 737, but later opted for the A320 family. Aeroflot announced its plans in 2008 and completed the process in early 2010. The main reasons for the removal of the Tu-154 from fleets are the low fuel efficiency of the aircraft, as well as the high accident rate.

In January 2014, only 80 Tu-154 aircraft remained in service in the world. As of July 2016, the only commercial operator of Tu-154 aircraft in Russia was ALROSA Airlines with two aircraft.

The last aircraft of the family with serial number 998 was released on February 19, 2013 and transferred to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

MOSCOW, December 25 – RIA Novosti, Andrey Kots. December 2016 left another terrible date in the historical calendar of Russia. Exactly a year ago, the disaster over the Black Sea claimed the lives of 92 people. Pilots, our fellow journalists, the famous volunteer doctor Elizaveta Glinka. And 64 military musicians of the Academic Twice Red Banner Song and Dance Ensemble of the Russian Army named after Alexander Alexandrov. On December 25, 2016, the legendary band lost its best soloists, the first lineup. Passengers on the military flight flew to the Khmeimim airbase to congratulate Russian soldiers and officers who had been liberating Syria from terrorists for the second year. The causes of the disaster are not fully understood to this day. About the current versions - in the RIA Novosti material.

Old but reliable

The RA-85572 aircraft could hardly be called new. It was built at the Kuibyshev Aviation Plant in 1983. By December 2016, the 33-year-old Tu-154 had flown 6,689 hours. However, for aircraft of this type the age limit is 40 years, and the service life is 60 thousand flight hours. During its entire operation, it never seriously broke down, and the last scheduled repair took place in 2014. A few days before the disaster, some difficulties arose with the aircraft - airfield services discovered a fuel leak from the wing tank. But the problems were promptly corrected, and the work was accepted by military authorities. Before departure on December 25, 2016, the plane passed all the necessary checks, it was found to be fully operational and ready for a long flight.

The plane took off after refueling at Sochi airport at 05:25 Moscow time. The airliner was piloted by 35-year-old Major Roman Volkov, who had flown more than three thousand hours during his practice. Weather that morning were favorable: visibility was about 10 kilometers, the air temperature was minus five degrees, the height of the lower boundary of the clouds was 1000 meters, the wind speed did not exceed four meters per second. The plane lifted off the runway at 37 seconds after the start of the takeoff run, at a speed of 320 kilometers per hour. The crew made two 90-degree turns to starboard and headed east. At 05:27, the Tu-154 disappeared from radar screens and fell into the sea 1.6 kilometers from the coast and six kilometers from the edge of the runway. The flight lasted only 70 seconds.

Soon after the tragedy, the military investigative department of the Investigative Committee (IC) for the Sochi garrison opened a criminal case under Article 351 of the Criminal Code of Russia - “Violation of flight rules that resulted in grave consequences.” Later the case was transferred to the central office of the Investigative Committee. The Russian FSB took over operational support of the investigation. In addition, a commission of the Ministry of Defense was created, headed by Deputy Minister, Army General Pavel Popov. As the head of the aviation safety service of the Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Sergei Baynetov, said at the end of December, initially more than 15 versions of the plane crash were worked out. Later their number decreased.

Human factor

The first versions of the causes of the crash were announced the day after the plane crash by the Russian FSB: foreign objects entering the engine, low-quality fuel, piloting error or technical malfunction of the aircraft. Representatives of the investigation emphasized that the plane did not transport military or dual-use cargo. There were also no signs of sabotage or terrorist attack. In Sochi, only two border guards and a customs officer boarded the plane.

The expert community also voiced several versions, including quite exotic ones. In particular, it was assumed that the Tu-154 could have been opened fire from a man-portable anti-aircraft missile system, which resulted in the destruction of the airframe in the air. In addition, experts did not rule out that the co-pilot Alexander Rovensky could have made a fatal mistake when he mixed up the landing gear and flap control levers. For this reason, the plane was unable to gain altitude, began to fall and hit the water with its tail.

The Ministry of Defense named possible reason Tu-154 crash over the Black SeaAccording to the accident investigation commission, the plane could have crashed due to erroneous actions of the crew commander as a result of “violation of spatial orientation.”

Later, experts studied the issue of the ship's workload. In April, information appeared in the media that the crash could have occurred due to the airliner being overloaded. Then journalists claimed that instead of the standard 98 tons, the weight of the plane at takeoff was allegedly more than 110 tons. As a result, the Ministry of Defense found no “violations of the current requirements regarding the seating of passengers in the Tu-154 cabin, as well as the loading and alignment of the cargo being transported.”

“Based on the results of the investigation, it was established that the cause of the incident could have been a violation of spatial orientation - the situational awareness of the aircraft commander, which led to his erroneous actions,” representatives of the military department announced their version at the end of May.

It’s too early to draw a line

Earlier, journalists from the Kommersant newspaper came to similar conclusions, publishing their own investigation, supported by comments from informed sources. It was alleged, in particular, that the pilot Roman Volkov began to have difficulty determining his location while still on the ground - he could not understand from which of the two runways he would take off. According to the publication, the pilot of the aircraft lost his orientation in space immediately after takeoff. Instead of trusting the instrument readings, as required by all flight instructions, the pilot Volkov began to rely on his own physiological sensations. The vestibular apparatus “informed” him that the car was gaining altitude too quickly, so the major began to lower the nose of the plane. This, as Kommersant writes, led to the crash.

However, the Investigative Committee, which has already extended the investigation period several times, must put an end to finding out the causes of the disaster. Last Wednesday, a source familiar with the situation told RIA Novosti that specialists would need several more months. According to him, repeated suspensions are due to the need to carry out additional investigative actions and collecting comprehensive evidence in a criminal case.

“It is quite possible that this is not the last extension of the investigation period due to the fact that a complex examination is currently being carried out, which will be completed in short time“It’s not possible,” the source emphasized.

Early in the morning of December 25, a Tu-154 plane flying to Syria, with 92 people on board, crashed into the Black Sea, one and a half kilometers from the shores of Sochi. These are the crew, military personnel, journalists and musicians of the Alexandrov Ensemble.

The search operation immediately involved four ships, four helicopters, an airplane and an unmanned aerial vehicle. aircraft. And by 15.00 the group of specialists working on site amounted to more than three thousand people.

To organize operational control, coordinate rescue forces and deliver relatives to the scene of the disaster, operational groups were deployed and began work at the Chkalovsky, Adler airfields and in the port of Sochi.

Having learned about the approximate location of the crash (although it was immediately clear that it was somewhere at sea and quite far from the coast), not only rescuers, law enforcement officers, doctors, journalists, but also ordinary residents of the seaside city began to flock to the coast of the Khostinsky district of the city. While on the fairly calm surface of the sea, in a place where there was an oily trail, there was a cluster of boats, ships and helicopters, Sochi residents crowded at the water’s edge, despite the early hour. Another part of the residents simply stopped their cars at the side of the road and watched what was happening from above, from the junction. These “spectators” had only one thing in common - silence.

I heard about what was happening on the radio and I was shocked. I worked all night, I’m tired, but I’ll stay longer. I don't even know why. I probably want to help, but I don’t know how. I heard that sometimes the waves carried the victims to the shore. But now, of course, it’s unlikely. “Complete calm,” says Sochi taxi driver Andrey.

An hour and a half later, several traffic police squads arrived here (to the surprise of those present, with machine guns at the ready). The people in uniform politely asked to leave so as not to create congestion on the road. Indeed, a few minutes later, several dozen ambulances and rescuers set off in the direction of the local airport, where the headquarters of the Russian Ministry of Defense had settled.

And after a couple of hours, the news feeds were blown up by a message about a terrible find - fragments of the chassis and the first bodies. A list of those on board also appeared. It contains 92 names. Among them are 8 crew members, 8 military personnel, nine media employees (three each from the Zvezda TV channel, NTV and Channel One), the head of the Fair Aid Foundation Elizaveta Glinka, two civil servants and 64 musicians from the Alexandrov Ensemble.

Soon a criminal case was opened under an article on violation of flight safety rules or preparation for them. Of course, a lot of versions have matured. Thus, the Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security, Viktor Ozerov, immediately stated that the cause could be a technical malfunction or pilot error. Moreover, he immediately ruled out the possibility of a terrorist attack.

I completely rule out the possibility of a terrorist attack. Ministry of Defense aircraft, air space“Russia, there cannot be such a version here,” Ozerov is sure. - The plane had to make a turn over the sea after takeoff, perhaps it did not reach the desired trajectory.

Click to enlarge. Infographics RG / Alexander Smirnov / Yuri Gavrilov

True, a little later, the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Igor Konashenkov, said that the plane was flown by an experienced pilot Roman Aleksandrovich Volkov (first class pilot, total flight time was about 3.5 thousand hours), and the aircraft was produced in 1983. The airliner's total flight time was about 7 thousand hours. Moreover, according to official information, the last repair took place on December 29, 2014, and in September the aircraft underwent scheduled routine maintenance. The reliability of this airliner model was also confirmed by experienced mechanics who could not remember the emergency with the Tu-154 at all. That is, in essence, the possibility of pilot error and aircraft malfunction is quite small.

In turn, other, no longer official, versions began to spread. For example, almost immediately the shallows caused the birds to damage the ship - they say, at such an early time they practically do not fly.

Experts promised to carry out work to recover bodies and debris from the depths around the clock

Meanwhile, if there was no storm at sea in the morning, by mid-day weather forecasters issued warnings about increased wind and possible snowfall. However, experts promised to carry out work to recover bodies and debris from the depths around the clock.

In turn, the regional operational headquarters, created by decision of the governor of Kuban, Veniamin Kondratiev, first of all began to prepare accommodation for the relatives of the victims arriving in Sochi, organizing transfers for them from the airport to hotels. Several local sanatoriums of the Ministry of Defense have already been prepared for reception. Plus, the region’s medical services have deployed additional psychological assistance centers at the airport and in places where relatives of disaster victims are located.

Joseph Kobzon: "They were flying on a combat mission..."

For these talented and courageous people, it seems that there were no obstacles in life, they were not afraid of anything and overcame any difficulties. The Alexandrov Ensemble was considered in the world one of the symbols of modern Russia: strong, sincere, calm and always able to support people with a good song and that confidence in their undoubted strengths that came from these strong and sincere men and beautiful, amazingly bright women.

The soloists of the ensemble, its orchestra, dancers, choir - for many years we were friends with them in " Rossiyskaya newspaper", the artists came to visit us, performed for our readers and guests of the editorial office. As always, they performed in the most distant garrisons. Moreover, what the musicians themselves and the leaders of the group were most proud of in our conversations, by the way, was not the fact that more than once traveled around the globe with concerts, namely, performances for Russian soldiers and officers. Not in large halls with thousands of people, as in Europe, but in army cultural centers and even in the field. And we, journalists, visited them , and at various performances.

We were even personal friends with some people, and sometimes argued about what a modern song should be, so that it would still bring light and warmth, inspire our souls, and maybe even “help us build and live,” and not be one-day sing-alongs , which are now in abundance on the stage. They talked about the classics - that thanks to the performance of the “Alexandrovites” it becomes more understandable and relatable even to those who did not like them before... So the soloists of the ensemble sang the great Russian romances in such a way that everyone in the audience also wanted to become a little kinder , wiser and cleaner...

Over its long, almost 90-year history, the Alexandrov Ensemble has proven that it can perform any work so that the hall will again be sold out. And how did the ensemble’s soloist Vladislav Golikov sing the military song “On a Sunny Meadow” in other – more familiar and beloved all over the world – “Alexandrovsky” concerts?!

Or Victor Sanin, who conquered Quebec and was a soloist with the "Alexandrovites" at the International Festival of Military Bands - how he sang freely " Amur waves"?! All of them are also on the "List of Passengers of the Fallen Tu-154"

However, while there is still at least a small hope that someone is still alive, I want to believe in it, hope and pray...

They flew for the report

On board the fallen Tu-154, in addition to the other passengers, there were three film crews - Channel One, NTV and the Zvezda channel. All channels changed their broadcast schedule due to the terrible tragedy.

Among the Channel One employees who were on board the Tu-154 military aircraft that crashed in the Black Sea were correspondent Dmitry Runkov, cameraman Vadim Denisov and sound engineer Alexander Soydov.

On its website, the channel writes that Dmitry Runkov was supposed to be only 30 years old. Dima began his career as a television journalist in his native Arkhangelsk, and five years ago he moved to St. Petersburg. “Whatever topic Dima subsequently tackles - be it the snow-covered Vostochny cosmodrome or a hot water area Mediterranean Sea, from where our missile-carrying ships fired at terrorists in Syria, these were always bright and understandable stories. “Explaining complex things in simple language is the true art of a reporter,” this is what his colleagues say about him.

Due to his duty, Dmitry often had to deal with military topics. This is not only live shooting: Dmitry made reports on the rehearsal of the Victory Parade and historical reconstructions.

Vadim Denisov has worked on Channel One since 2002. He worked in Syria twice and was awarded state awards. The Channel One story, which appeared on the day of the tragedy, tells how he went on one of the Syrian business trips with his colleague Klim Sanatkin for literally one day, but it turned out to be two weeks. The militants closed the encirclement, preventing the film crew from being withdrawn. So the guys didn’t get on the helicopter, which was eventually destroyed by terrorists. A cinematographer with extensive experience, a highly qualified specialist, a reliable person. Vadim did not refuse this time either. It was not he who was supposed to fly to Syria this time. It was an unplanned trip, which he immediately agreed to. Vadim Denisov is survived by his wife and three children.

Alexander Soydov was 33, married, two children. He was interested in music. Alexander, like Vadim Denisov, this time went to Syria outside of school hours, and also could not refuse. He worked at Channel One for 10 years.

Channel One changed its broadcast schedule in connection with the incident: on Sunday, December 25, the finale of the entertainment show “Just the Same” was removed from the air, as well as promotional videos for New Year’s projects and screensavers dedicated to the upcoming holidays. In addition, the live broadcast of the finale of the intellectual and entertainment program “What? Where? When?” was removed from the airwaves. Because of the incident, the channel also postponed the secular premiere of the historical epic “Viking” - it was supposed to take place in Moscow early next week.

The NTV channel also reported that its journalists were on board the Tu-154. According to the TV channel, this is a correspondent - NTV producer Mikhail Luzhetsky, cameraman Oleg Pestov and sound engineer Evgeny Tolstov. Sound engineer Evgeny Tolstov, before taking off from Chkalovsk near Moscow, posted on his page in social network Facebook post in which he announced that he was going to Latakia.

NTV also announced that it had changed its broadcast schedule - the channel took off the air the evening edition of the Kinoshow program and the new film “This is What Happens to Me,” in which Gosha Kutsenko played the main role. The channel launched breaking news broadcasts and removed announcements of entertainment programs.

According to confirmed data, three journalists from the Zvezda TV channel were also on board the fallen Tu-154. Correspondent Pavel Obukhov, cameraman Alexander Suranov and assistant cameraman Valery Rzhevsky. In connection with the tragedy that occurred with the Tu-154, the Zvezda TV channel also changed its broadcasting schedule. Entertainment TV shows are canceled (including new program"This Morning"), advertisement. During the period of mourning, the grid will be filled with military-patriotic films. News comes out every hour.

Condolences

The capital will help the loved ones of the victims

The Moscow government will provide the necessary assistance to relatives and friends of the passengers of the Tu-154, which crashed off the coast of Sochi. Mayor of the capital Sergei Sobyanin talks about this reported on his Twitter page.

“My condolences to the loved ones of those on board the crashed plane. A terrible tragedy,” he wrote. “I have instructed the Social Security Department to provide the necessary assistance.”

Tu-154 passenger list

Crew:

Major Volkov R.A.,
captain Rovensky A.V.,
Lieutenant Colonel Petukhov A.N.,
captain Mamonov A.V.,
senior lieutenant
Hairdressers V.N.,
Major Tregubov V.A.,
senior lieutenant Sushkov B.S.,
senior lieutenant Sukhanov A.O.

Military personnel:

Lieutenant General Khalilov V.M.,
Colonel Khasanov A.B.,
Colonel Vaganov N.I.,
Colonel Ivanov A.Yu.,
Lieutenant Colonel Kolosovsky A.V.,
Major Dolinsky A.I.,
Colonel Negrub A.N.,
captain Abrosimov S.S.

Civil servants:

Gubankov A.N.
Badrutdinova O.T.

International public organization "Fair Aid":

Glinka E.P.

Runkov D.A.,
Denisov V.V.,
Soydov A.A.,
Luzhetsky M.V.,
Obukhov P.K.,
Pestov O.M.,
Rzhevsky V.V.,
Suranov A.A.,
Tolstov E.V.

Ensemble named after Alexandrova:

Sonnikov A.V.,
Guzhova L.A.,
Ivashko A.N.,
Brodsky V.A.,
Bulochnikov E.V.,
Golikov V.V.,
Osipov G.L.,
Sanin V.V.,
Mayorov K.V.,
Buryachenko B.B.,
Babovnikov D.V.,
Bazdyrev A.K.,
Belonozhko D.M.,
Beschastnov D.A.,
Vasin M.A.,
Georgiyan O.P.,
Davidenko K.A.,
Deniskin S.I.,
Zhuravlev P.V.,
Zakirov P.P.,
Ivanov M.A.,
Ivanov A.V.,
Kotlyar S.A.,
Kochemasov A.S.,
Krivtsov A.A.,
Litvyakov D.N.,
Mokrikov A.O.,
Morgunov A.A.,
Nasibulin Zh.A.,
Novokshanov Yu.M.,
Polyakov V.V.,
Savelyev A.V.,
Sokolovsky A.V.,
Tarasenko A.N.,
Trofimov A.S.,
Uzlovsky A.A.,
Khalimon V.L.,
Shtuko A.A.,
Kryuchkov I.A.,
Ermolin V.I.,
Bykov S.L.,
Kolobrodov K.A.,
Korzanov O.V.,
Larionov I.F.,
Lyashenko K.I.,
Mikhalin V.K.,
staff Sergeant
Popov V.A.,
Razumov A.A.,
Serov A.S.,
Shakhov I.V.,
Archukova A.A.,
Gilmanova P.P.,
Ignatieva N.V.,
Klokotova M.A.,
Korzanova E.I.,
Pyryeva L.A.,
Satarova V.I.,
Trofimova D.S.,
Khorosheva L.N.,
Tsvirinko A.I.,
Shagun O.Yu.,
Gurar L.I.,
Sulimanov B.R.,
Stolyar I.V.

Condolences

President Vladimir Putin, who is currently on a working trip to St. Petersburg, expressed condolences to the families of the victims. “Tomorrow, nationwide mourning will be declared in Russia,” he said. This will also affect Putin’s own program. Today he was supposed to attend a musical light show on Palace Square, but due to mourning he canceled his participation in the event.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev addressed the families and relatives of the victims of the plane crash with words of grief: “This terrible tragedy took the lives of people full of strength and plans. Among the dead were journalists, military personnel and musicians of the famous ensemble named after Alexandrov. They flew to Syria with very kind and a peaceful mission. This bereavement cannot be accepted, it is irreparable. Today it is great sorrow shared by millions of people."

The President instructed the head of government to form a commission that will study the circumstances of the incident. “A thorough investigation will be carried out into the causes of the disaster and everything will be done to provide support to the families of the victims,” Putin assured.

By order of Dmitry Medvedev, the government commission included representatives of all key departments. Its work was headed by Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov, who immediately flew to Sochi.

Identification by relatives of the victims will take place in Moscow; there is no need to fly to Sochi. All relatives are asked to come to the Ministry of Defense for the collection of genetic material and the identification procedure. The necessary telephone numbers and addresses of laboratories where the examination will take place will be posted in the media and on the websites of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

The head of the government commission created to provide assistance to the victims and families of those killed in the disaster, the Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation Maxim Sokolov, spoke about this.

The crash happened in the morning, a lot was done during daylight hours, but the search and rescue operation continued in the evening, Sokolov said. “It is very important now to provide assistance to the relatives of the passengers of this plane. But I want to draw everyone’s attention that the main events and all the organization of work with relatives, according to the decision of the government commission, will take place in Moscow at the Ministry of Defense,” Sokolov said.

According to him, in Sochi, although a number of bodies and fragments have already been discovered, such work will not be carried out. The search and rescue operation will last around the clock for as long as necessary, the minister assured, emphasizing that the search is complicated by the fact that the disaster occurred at sea. According to the minister, “there is no information about survivors yet.”

The search for bodies and fragments of the aircraft will be carried out using special devices, light barges, ships with special locators and deep-sea search vehicles. “We will try to do everything so that the bodies are found,” Sokolov noted.

Divers from the Ministry of Emergency Situations and deep-sea descent vehicles, as well as deep locators, are arriving to continue the search operation. Yesterday, two such deep locators were already working in the search area. Another locator should arrive this morning from Gelendzhik, and towards the end of the day on Monday more ships will arrive from Novorossiysk, the minister said.

Unfortunately, the flight recorders of this Tu-154 aircraft are not equipped with radio beacons. They will be searched for, like other fragments of the plane. Sokolov expressed hope that they were preserved.

The search for bodies and fragments of the aircraft will be carried out using special devices and light barges

The technical commission of the Ministry of Defense is establishing the causes of the disaster as part of a criminal investigation. The Investigative Committee is working through the full range of versions of the causes of the crash, Sokolov noted, but it is premature to say what exactly led to the disaster.

The technical commission of the Russian Ministry of Defense is investigating the preparedness of the crew of the crashed Tu-154 aircraft. The aircraft commander, as is now known, had sufficient flight hours, the minister emphasized.

The issue of further use of Tu-154 aircraft is not on the agenda yet. As the head of the Federal Air Transport Agency Alexander Neradko, who is also a member of the government commission, clarified, the Tu-154 is not in operation civil aviation. This type of aircraft is in service with the Ministry of Defense, and this department will decide how to continue operating the Tu-154.

In particular, to stop it or carry out additional work on the fleet of these aircraft for further flights on them. But all this needs to be decided after analyzing the existing circumstances, which the technical commission has just begun, Neradko added.

The commandant of the Moscow Kremlin, Lieutenant General Sergei Khlebnikov, told RG about his friendship with the artistic director of the Alexandrov ensemble Valery Khalilov, who died in the Black Sea.

Sergei Khlebnikov: We have known Valery Mikhailovich Khalilov for almost 13 years. It so happened that at one time he was appointed head of the military band service of the Ministry of Defense, and I was appointed commandant of the Moscow Kremlin. And since then we have interacted very closely: during the preparation of military parades on Red Square, we carried out music festivals. Moscow international festival "Ode to Peace", in particular.

And then they decided that the country needed a major military music festival. And at the origins of this festival, which today is called “Spasskaya Tower”, stood Valery Mikhailovich.

You can recall your last meetings and contacts with Valery Mikhailovich. What did you plan, what did you argue about?

Sergei Khlebnikov: In January, after the New Year holidays, we wanted to get together. On the Old New Year they planned to congratulate him, as well as the director of the festival, with a government award. The other day Valery Mikhailovich received it. They wanted to discuss plans for August, approve the idea of the anniversary festival, this is his favorite brainchild.

Our condolences go out to his wife and his entire family - he has a big, friendly family.

I want to say that everyone who knew him, when the news of the tragedy came, first hoped for something. Then there was shock, grief... My phone was literally blowing up: many knew that we not only worked with him, but were also friends. People close to us died on this plane, including Anton Nikolaevich Gubankov, head of the cultural department of the Ministry of Defense. Of course, no one will remain aloof from this grief. And the Spasskaya Tower festival will not remain; we will help our family and friends to somehow withstand this blow. We sympathize with everyone, all those who died.

Despite the fact that the loss is irreparable, life goes on. In March, a concert by Valery Mikhailovich Khalilov was planned in Berlin. We will do everything to make this concert happen. He wrote a lot of musical works: marches, symphonies, romances. These works will live forever.

Sergei Dmitrievich, now there is operational information on tape and on air, and there are many inaccuracies. Valery Khalilov is usually called the chief conductor of the Ministry of Defense. But since the spring of this year, he has headed the legendary ensemble named after Alexandrov. Probably, not everyone remembers that Mireille Mathieu discovered precisely this group for our country. It was during his tour in Paris in 1961: the French impresario came out to our musicians and said that he had a very good girl with a beautiful voice. He persuaded us to perform together. It was Mireille Mathieu.

Sergei Khlebnikov: Recently I was in France on festival business. There they remembered this story with Alexandrov’s ensemble. And they even wanted to repeat it. Because this ensemble was assigned a role as one of the prominent participants in the next anniversary “Spasskaya Tower”.

Mireille Mathieu has repeated more than once that she cannot help but worry before performances on Red Square, but she is calmed when conductor Valery Khalilov is between her and hundreds of musicians. As she said: “Thanks to him, a symbiosis occurs between me and the orchestra members.” Have you called Mireille Mathieu? Does she already know about the tragedy?

Sergei Khlebnikov: Condolences have already arrived from close people who are in contact with her.

There is a website for the Spasskaya Tower. In fact, there is a virtual museum of the festival on it. Is there any idea to devote a separate section to Khalilov? He, of course, often got into the lenses, but photographs prevail when Valery Mikhailovich is in full parade, with a conductor’s baton. It would be great to see pictures of this amazing person in an informal setting.

Sergei Khlebnikov: I'll tell the management. Now let’s recover a little from the shock and do it. Good, correct proposal. I’m also going through his photographs in my archive. He smiles at many...

Direct speech

Valery Khalilov two days before the disaster gave an interview to RG about New Year's holiday of your childhood.

By the end of the year, a special issue of RG-Week was being prepared, in which famous people talk about the Christmas trees of their childhood. One of our interlocutors was a lieutenant general, a military conductor of Russia. He, as always, was friendly and correct in conversation, never complained about lack of time - and this despite his enormous busyness. Open to communication: whenever we called him, he was always like that. And today these words - alas - can be considered his last Happy New Year greetings:

As a child, gifts were placed not under the tree, but under the pillow. But every evening on December 31st I went to bed impatient, and every morning on January 1st, I put my hand under the pillow and took out a gray paper bag with cookies, sweets and tangerines. We weren’t particularly spoiled then, my parents had no choice, but from then on the tangerine smell was closely associated with the New Year tree.

Prepared by Susanna Alperina, Andrey Vasyanin

Dry lines from the website of the Ministry of Defense: on the list of passengers of the crashed plane is the head of the international public organization “Fair Aid” Elizaveta Glinka. I don’t want to believe this, so many people were left destitute by this death, such a great loss for the most unfortunate in this world: the children of Donbass and Syria, the homeless, the children with cancer in Kyiv, where she opened a private hospice.

In our last interview six months ago, we talked to her about what in this life could make her stop saving people. Her answer then shocked her with harsh laconicism: “Only a bullet.” At the same time, with tears in their voices that were unusual for a strong person accustomed to the loss of a person, the crew of pilot Leonid Filin, who died in a plane crash while putting out fires in Irkutsk, remembered. It was with him that Doctor Lisa transported sick and wounded children of Donbass from Rostov to Moscow. She said that she grieved immensely. All these details are now being built into a bitter chain of foreboding tragedy.

With Lisa - Elizaveta Petrovna - it was very easy and difficult for the journalist at the same time. She had no time to talk, but if she saw that you wanted to help, she immediately included you in her orbit of people inclined to volunteer service and switched to “you.”

Doctor Lisa accompanied a humanitarian cargo for a hospital in Latakia

“Do you want to see how we work? Come on Wednesday at five to Paveletsky. Don’t be afraid. We’ll give you a mask and gloves. Don’t be late.”

“Why do you, successful, wealthy, happy, need degenerate and bad-smelling homeless people? Why are you bothering with them?” - I asked Lisa many times. “I love people,” she answered and looked sternly with her huge eyes.

Social partnership, which everyone remembered today, has been concrete work for her for twenty years now: hospices, the “House of Mercy” for families from Ukraine, lunches for the poor, and now Syria. Lisa was flying on the crashed plane, accompanying a humanitarian cargo for the university hospital in Tishrin in Latakia.

She was like a front-line surgeon: time is life. The voice is low, for all its fragility, very businesslike and, at first glance, not at all romantic.

It was felt that he couldn’t stand what we, journalists, expect from conversations with such people: no heart-warming stories, no lisps and sobs over the “poor homeless people.” I remember very well how I abruptly stopped trying to compare her with another Doctor who helped sick prisoners in prisons and hard labor in the century before last: “Doctor Haass is a saint, and I am an ordinary woman.” And she began to bandage the purulent wound of the old homeless man...

Wise, fair, unperturbed, as if she was no longer surprised by anything.

But I couldn’t let children with war wounds pass through my heart without emotions. She said how she cried, that they were a real shock for her. She listed how she prayed: Vanya Voronov, Oksana Voinarovskaya, four-year-old Yastrebov Bogdan, Yulya Kurenkova with a severe hip wound from Gorlovka...

They are not the only ones crying now. Dr. Lisa not only helped thousands of people survive by clothing and feeding them. She reassured me with her attitude: there will still be happiness in their lives, they are needed and loved, simply because they are people.

This hope, so necessary for any person, could not be forgiven by the Facebook scoundrels who recently wished Lisa death. She answered them long ago: “Any manifestation of feelings needs a measure. And if this measure is not there, then a barrier or border is crossed, beyond which there is emptiness. And this emptiness is slowly occupied by a hell created by hatred. From which it is sometimes impossible to get out, like from a quagmire that pulls you to the bottom. It seems to me that you need to watch your word, observing the basic law of medicine - noli nocere - do no harm. To yourself and those around you. But the essence is simple. You just need to love people. Hatred is unnatural."

From the RG dossier

To avoid annoying journalists from fashion publications who were interested in the cult figure of the Russian Internet, Lisa published repeated questions and her answers. I treated this with humor. Even to the last one.

- Who is your makeup artist?

I don't have one.

- When did you have time to give birth to children?

I tried very hard and managed to do it.

- What kind of perfume do you wear?

Balmain de Balmain.

- If you were a flower, what kind would you be?

Lavender.

- Do you really love everyone?

No it is not true. I love some especially deeply.

- How many hours do you sleep at night?

5-6. That's enough for me.

“Aren’t you afraid that they’ll kill you someday?”

The body of Elizaveta Glinka has not been found, so there is no official confirmation of her death yet.