Missiles fired at Russian plane with 200 passengers onboard flying over Syria – reports

Reuters/Andrew WinningRT News

Two missiles were fired at a Russian passenger plane flying over Syrian territory with 200 people onboard, an informed source in Moscow told Interfax news agency. The source of the attack remains unknown.

Syrian [officials] informed us that on Monday morning, unidentified forces launched two ground-to-air missiles which exploded in the air very close to a  civilian aircraft belonging to a Russian airline,” the source told the Russian agency.  

The pilots managed to maneuver the plane in time however, “saving the lives of passengers.

It is believed the aircraft was intentionally targeted in the attempted strike, “but it remains unclear whether the attackers knew whether it was Russian or not,” the source added.

The targeted plane belongs to Nordwind Airlines – a Russian charter air carrier, says Russian federal Agency for Tourism, citing the Ministry of Transport. It was en route to the city of Kazan, in Russia’s republic of Tatarstan,  from Egypt’s resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, reports RIA Novosti.

No one was injured, and the plane was not damaged. The aircraft landed in Kazan as it had been planned,” the tourism agency’s press service told RIA Novosti.

Russia’s embassy in Damascus is looking into the report of the attack on the Russian passenger plane, RT has been told.

The civil war in Syria between the government of President Bashar Assad and opposition forces has been raging for over two years, claiming the lives of more than 70,000 people according to UN estimates. Assad says he is fighting an insurgency which has been sponsored from abroad.

http://rt.com/news/rockets-russian-plane-syria-575/

4 thoughts on “Missiles fired at Russian plane with 200 passengers onboard flying over Syria – reports

  1. My Fellow Americans:

    These two “misses”, may have been “warning shots” for Russia,… letting them know to NOT interfer with the Syrian-Gambit the IMF, UN and International Gangsters are about to rachet their efforts up on.

    It is HIGHLY unlikely that TWO SAM’s (Surface-To-Air-Missles) would both miss something as large, lumbering and slow moving as a commercial aircraft, particularly with the thermal plum that those massive engines produce. (Shoulder Fired SAMS are all heat seekers)

    I expect will we be seeing an increase in unexplained, violent acts thru out several countries as the “Intelligence Agencies” try to intimadate and outdo each other for bragging rights.

    Another indication that Syria is about to go really hot.

    JD – US Marines – I think the summer of 2013 will truly be remembered as our “summer of discontent”.

    1. Hi PJ,

      Exact Altitude and Range are classified parameters, but for any given Shoulder Fired SAM (aka: MANPADS),… if the aircraft is close enough for you to see and make out (type, fin flash, color scheme, etc),… the aircraft is within the operational range of the SAM. – JD

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