Russian Plane May Have Been Hit Accidentally by a Military Missile
interactive.wsj.com
WASHINGTON -- A missile fired during a military-training exercise in Ukraine appears to have accidentally brought down a Russian airliner flying to Siberia from Israel, U.S. officials said Thursday.
The plane crashed into the Black Sea with at least 77 aboard.
A defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the surface-to-air missile was fired from the Crimean region of Ukraine. Ukraine is the only country known to be conducting military exercises in the Black Sea area, the official said.
The defense official said the Ukrainian military was conducting an air-defense exercise off the Crimean coast that involved both warships and aircraft. Those warships have the ability to fire surface-to-air missiles, the official said.
The downing of the airliner appeared accidental, the official said.
A second U.S. military official said the Pentagon is attempting to clarify exactly what happened, adding that the incident didn't appear to be a collision of two aircraft.
Rear Adm. Craig Quigley declined to comment when asked if the Pentagon had any explanation.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said terrorism could be the cause.
"A civilian aircraft crashed today, and it is possible that it is the result of a terrorist act," Mr. Putin told a meeting of visiting European justice ministers in Moscow.
Bush administration officials were in almost immediate contact with their counterparts in Moscow in an attempt to determine whether there was a connection between the explosion and the Sept. 11 terrorist attack in the U.S., or a between the explosion and U.S. plans to retaliate for the terrorist attacks.
Ukraine's United Nations ambassador, Valery Kuchinsky, said he knew nothing of the missile report and was going to check with his government. He added that he didn't know of any military exercises or activities taking place Thursday.
The Tupolev 154 went down in pieces 114 miles off the Russian coastal city of Adler, located on the Georgian border, said Vasily Yurchuk, a spokesman for the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
The plane, a charter flight, was on its way to the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, about 1,750 miles east of Moscow, from Tel Aviv. It belonged to Sibir Airlines, based in Novosibirsk. |
