1995 Airstan Ilyushin Il-76 hijacking

1995 aircraft hijacking in Afghanistan November 2024 1995 Airstan Ilyushin Il-76 hijacking Hijacking Airstan Ilyushin 76; RA-76842, April 1995 ACV (5403160760).jpg RA-76842, the aircraft involved in the hijacking, seen in April 1995 3 August 1995 – 16 August 1996 Fighter interception and impound Kandahar International Airport, Kandahar, Afghanistan Ilyushin Il-76TD Airstan (airline) ru Аэростан Airstan ib RA-76842 7 0 7 0 7 The 1995 Airstan Ilyushin Il-76 hijacking took place on 3 August 1995, Taliban-controlled fighter aircraft intercepted an Airstan Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft, with seven Russian nationals on board, forcing it to land at Taliban-occupied Kandahar International Airport. The men were held prisoner for over a year before making their escape; after overpowering their captors they repossessed their aircraft, flying it to freedom towards Russia. Background In 1995, Afghanistan was in a state of civil war. In late 1994, the Taliban movement sprang out of Kandahar and by early 1995 had taken control of most of the country south of Kabul, forcing other Afghan groups to abandon territory. In August 1995 the Russian crew of the Ilyushin Il-76 was working for Tatarstan-based Airstan (airline) ru Аэростан Airstan, which was in turn leasing their plane to Rus Trans Avia Export, a Russian company based in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. On board the plane were Russian nationals: Captain Vladimir Sharpatov, First Officer Gazinur Khairullin, Navigator Alexander Zdor, and 4 crew members not in the cockpit: Askhad Abbyazov, Yuri Vshivtsev, Sergei Butuzov and Viktor Ryazanov.Associated Press 1996 4 They were transporting 30 tons of weapons from Albania to the besieged Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani.BBC Monitoring 2001 Capture and captivity On 3 August 1995, a Taliban air force MiG-21 aircraft forced the Russian aircraft to land at Kandahar.Reeves 1996Farah Braun 2007 60 Negotiations between the Russian government and the Taliban to free the men stalled for over a year and efforts by U.S. senator Hank Brown to mediate between the two parties broke down over a prisoner exchange. The Taliban stated that they would free the airmen if the Russians released Afghans held by the Russian government. However the Russians denied holding any Afghan citizens. Brown was able to get the Taliban to agree that the Russian crew should be allowed to maintain their aircraft. This request paved the way for their escape. Escape The Russians had been planning their escape for over a year.Washington Times 1996 After Hank Brown secured visits to their aircraft for the whole crew they not only did routine maintenance but secretly prepared it for flight. On each trip, the crew would be guarded by six Taliban guards but on 16 August 1996, half of the guards left the crew for afternoon prayers. Seizing the opportunity, the Russians overpowered the remaining guards and the pilot was able to start one engine from the auxiliary power unit (itself started with a battery). With one engine running, the remaining three could easily be started. The aircraft, with all seven of the crew aboard, quickly taxied down the runway. The Taliban tried to block the runway with a fire truck but the aircraft was able to take to the air, thus avoiding the obstacle.Farah Braun 2007 63 The escapees were able to quickly exit Taliban controlled airspace and charted a course to the United Arab Emirates. The crew's escape was greeted with excitement and relief by the Russians and Russian president Boris Yeltsin telephoned the crewmen to congratulate them as they flew to Russia on a Russian government aircraft.Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 1996 In popular culture In 2001 the men released a book about their ordeal, called Escape from Kandahar. Kandahar, a 2010 Russian film by Andrei Kavun details the Russian crew's ordeal in captivity and their escape.Bratersky 2010 The story of this is included in Operation Man Hunt (978-1-78747-545-8) by Damien Lewis Bibliography Notes References Daredevil airmen receive warm homecoming Associated Press https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2HMVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NesDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6871,5168910&dq=russian+taliban+plane&hl=en The Register-Guard August 19, 1996 August 10, 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20150922131940/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2HMVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NesDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6871,5168910&dq=russian+taliban+plane&hl=en 2015-09-22 dead BBC Monitoring October 29, 2001 https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/monitoring/media_reports/1624821.stm Escape from Kandahar BBC News August 10, 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100819053544/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/monitoring/media_reports/1624821.stm 19 August 2010 live Bratersky Alexander February 9, 2010 http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?story_id=30782&action_id=2 Afghan Escape Film 'Kandahar' Pulls in Crowds The St. Petersburg Times August 10, 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100214055435/http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=30782 February 14, 2010 dead Farah Douglas Braun Stephen Merchant of death: money, guns, planes, and the man who makes war possible 2007 2007 John Wiley and Sons 978-0-470-04866-5 registration https://archive.org/details/merchantofdeathm00fara - Total pages: 308 7 Russians escape after year as hostages Pittsburgh Post-Gazette http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PG&p_theme=pg&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EADF9DD4B7C3A19&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Pittsburgh Post-Gazette August 19, 1996 August 10, 2010 2 November 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20221102164444/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PG&p_theme=pg&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EADF9DD4B7C3A19&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM dead Reeves Phil August 19, 1996 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/russian-airmen-escape-from-afghanistan-1310454.html Russian airmen escape from Afghanistan The Independent August 10, 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100819062529/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/russian-airmen-escape-from-afghanistan-1310454.html 19 August 2010 live Russian hostages describe escape Washington Times http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=WT&p_theme=wt&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB0F20B7AD3A37E&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM The Washington Times August 19, 1996 August 10, 2010 2 November 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20221102164444/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=WT&p_theme=wt&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB0F20B7AD3A37E&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM dead External links Pictures of the crew's captivity www.airliners.net – pictures of RA-76842 Q1771340 Kandahar 31.503 65.851 type:event_globe:earth_region:AF title Category:Aircraft hijackings in Asia Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in Afghanistan Category:Taliban attacks Category:Terrorist incidents in Afghanistan in 1995 Category:1996 in Afghanistan Category:Accidents and incidents by airline of Russia Category:Airstan Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving the Ilyushin Il-76 Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1995 Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1996 Category:Hostage taking in Afghanistan Category:20th century in Tatarstan Category:1996 in the United Arab Emirates Category:Afghan Civil War (1992–1996) Category:August 1995 in Afghanistan Category:August 1996 in Afghanistan Category:Afghanistan–Russia relations Category:Hijackings in the 1990s