The death of the ensemble

The Tu-154 Ministry of Defense, heading to Syria, crashed over the Black Sea after departure from Sochi, TASS reports .

On board, according to the Ministry of Defense, there were 92 people - eight crew members and 84 passengers. Among the passengers were eight military, two civil officials, 64 artists of the ensemble named after Aleksandrova, three employees of the first channel, NTV and Zvezda TV channel, as well as the executive director of the Fair Assistance Foundation Elizabeth Glinka (Dr. Lisa).

Among the passengers are mentioned by the head of the Department of Culture of the Military Department, Colonel General Anton Gubankov and the head of the ensemble named after Aleksandrova Lieutenant General Valery Khalilov.

"15 minutes" noted that Gubankov was the author of the words for the song "Polish People" , which is dedicated to the occupation of Crimea. The song was included in the repertoire of the ensemble them. Alexandrova.

According to the Ministry of Defense, the ensemble was supposed to make a New Year's concert in front of Russian pilots at Khmeimim air base. Meanwhile, Medusa, citing a source in the team itself, reports that the musicians planned a performance in Aleppo, earlier in December, recaptured by the rebels by dictator Bashar al -Assad with the active support of Russia.

At about 9 am Moscow time, a source in the power structures of the Krasnodar Territory said that 6 kilometers from the shore in the Black Sea found fragments of the aircraft, the Tu-154 chassis, as well as an oily spot.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed the detection of the aircraft fall. "A 5.5 kilometer from the coastline was found an oily spot. A 1.5 kilometers from the shore - fragments of the liner, in particular, the landing gear. Personal items of passengers of the aircraft were found in the Black Sea," the press service of the Southern Regional Center of the Department said.

By 10 o’clock in the Black Sea, the body of one deceased was found. As Interfax clarifies with reference to the official representative of the Ministry of Defense Igor Konashenkov, the body was found in the sea 6 kilometers from the coastline of Sochi. As of 20:40, the corpses of 11 dead were removed from the sea.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Transport, Maxim Sokolov, who, on behalf of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, headed the government commission to investigate the disaster, spoke about the discovery of only fragments of bodies, which, however, amazed.

It was also reported that the documents of one of the employees of the first channel flying to the Tu-154 were found.

The plane flew from the Chkalovsky airfield near Moscow and was heading to Syria, in Sochi landed for refueling. The liner flew out of Sochi at 5:20 Moscow time, and at 5:40 the connection with it was lost, the mark of the aircraft disappeared from the radar.

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu organized a meeting with the leadership of the armed forces on the organization of search and rescue activities on a video conferencing. All search and rescue services of the Ministry of Defense and other federal departments were involved in the search for the aircraft.

A commission led by the deputy head of the Ministry of Defense Pavel Popov flew out in Sochi.

After the loss of the aircraft from the radars, the incident was reported to Vladimir Putin. “He receives information from emergency services conducting search work,” said Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the head of state. Shoigu later reported to Putin about the progress of search and rescue work.

As Interfax reports , Putin announced Monday in Russia during the day of mourning.

President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, reported on his website, ordered "in solidarity and sorrow" to lower the flags over state institutions on December 26.

Tatyana Moskalkova, the unmandman, says RIA Novosti, said that she had to fly to Syria with Glinka. “But my business trip to the Crimea, also very important, postponed our joint humanitarian voyage for the future,” the official noted. “Now he will not take place.”

The Soviet singer and State Duma deputy from United Russia, Joseph Kobzon, also said that he had recently received a proposal from Lieutenant General Khalilov in Syria with the ensemble named after Alexandrova. “But I said that I have a medical visa and I have to fly for treatment,” Unitedos added.

Meanwhile, RBC on Sunday after Sunday, with reference to Interfax, had to fly out from Chkalovsky to Syria to two aircraft of the Ministry of Defense. “On the second, it was supposed to send props, gifts to military personnel, medicines,” the agency quoted a certain source “familiar with the situation”. It is claimed that the interlocutor of Interfax found it difficult to answer whether the second plane went to the Middle East.

A number of other other media referred to the publication of Interfax. Meanwhile, on the website of the agency itself as of 17:30 there was no corresponding note.

RBC also said that he turned to the Adler Airport reference and they said that on Sunday only one board left for Syria.

Search operation at the site of the Tu-154 fall:

Earlier, emergency services reported that the liner crashed off the coast of Sochi, not having time to gain a height. The crew of the distress signals did not give. “The Tu -154 on board had practically no chances to survive,” the agency’s interlocutor noted.

The Sochi garrison department of the Investigative Committee opened the case under Article 351 of the Criminal Code (violation of flight rules, which entailed grave consequences), the sanction of which is up to seven years of the colony. By order of the chairman of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, the case was immediately referred to the central headquarters of the department. In Sochi, investigators from Moscow headed.

T-154 was produced in series from 1970 to 1998. From 1998 to 2013, small-scale production of Tu-154M aircraft was carried out. In February 2013, the Samara Plant "Aviak" launched the last aircraft of this type, which acquired the Ministry of Defense.

The Tu-154 aircraft is almost not used by civil aviation. Only ALROSA and Belavia passengers transport passengers on it. The latter is going to refuse to use the Tu-154 by the end of the year.