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2014 Ukrainian Air Force Il-76 shootdown

From Wikipedia, in a visual modern way
2014 Ukrainian Air Force Il-76 shootdown
Ukrainian Air Force Ilyushin Il-76MD (76777).jpeg
76777, the Il-76 involved, photographed a month before the incident
Shootdown
Date14 June 2014 (2014-06-14)
SummaryShot down with shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles by Russian separatist forces
SiteNear Luhansk International Airport, Luhansk, Ukraine
48°23′40″N 39°27′44″E / 48.3945616°N 39.462204°E / 48.3945616; 39.462204Coordinates: 48°23′40″N 39°27′44″E / 48.3945616°N 39.462204°E / 48.3945616; 39.462204
Aircraft
Aircraft typeIlyushin Il-76MD
Operator Ukrainian Air Force
Registration76777
DestinationLuhansk International Airport, Ukraine
Occupants49
Passengers40
Crew9
Fatalities49
Survivors0

On 14 June 2014, an Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft of the 25th Transport Aviation Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Force was shot down by forces of the Russia-backed separatists from Luhansk People's Republic while on approach to land at Luhansk International Airport, Ukraine, during the initial phase of the war in Donbas. The aircraft was carrying troops and equipment from an undisclosed location. All 49 people on board were killed.

Discover more about 2014 Ukrainian Air Force Il-76 shootdown related topics

Ilyushin Il-76

Ilyushin Il-76

The Ilyushin Il-76 is a multi-purpose, fixed-wing, four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Union's Ilyushin design bureau. It was first planned as a commercial freighter in 1967, as a replacement for the Antonov An-12. It was designed to deliver heavy machinery to remote, poorly served areas. Military versions of the Il-76 have been widely used in Europe, Asia and Africa, including use as an aerial refueling tanker or command center.

25th Transport Aviation Brigade

25th Transport Aviation Brigade

The 25th Transport Aviation Brigade is a formation of the Ukrainian Air Force based at Melitopol Air Base.

Ukrainian Air Force

Ukrainian Air Force

The Ukrainian Air Force is the air force of Ukraine and one of the five branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Its headquarters are in the city of Vinnytsia. When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, many aircraft were left in Ukrainian territory. Ever since, the Ukrainian Air Force has been downsizing and upgrading its forces. The main inventory of the air force still consists of Soviet-made aircraft. As of 2007, 36,300 personnel and 225 aircraft were in service in the Ukrainian Air Force and Air Defense forces.

Luhansk People's Republic

Luhansk People's Republic

The Luhansk People's Republic or Lugansk People's Republic is an unrecognised republic of Russia in the occupied parts of eastern Ukraine's Luhansk Oblast, with its capital in Luhansk. The LPR was created by militarily-armed Russian-backed separatists in 2014, and it initially operated as a breakaway state until it was annexed by Russia in 2022.

Luhansk International Airport

Luhansk International Airport

Luhansk International Airport was an airport in Luhansk, Ukraine. The airport was located 20 km south of the city center, 9 km to the city limit. Since 11 June 2014, the airport has been officially closed. It was mostly destroyed during the war in Donbas.

War in Donbas (2014–2022)

War in Donbas (2014–2022)

The war in Donbas, or Donbas war, was an armed conflict in the Donbas region of Ukraine, part of the broader Russo-Ukrainian War.

Attack

A memorial to the paratroopers of the 25th Airborne Brigade who died in the shootdown, Kryvyi Rih
A memorial to the paratroopers of the 25th Airborne Brigade who died in the shootdown, Kryvyi Rih

The aircraft was carrying military equipment and 40 troops, as well as a crew of nine. It was coming in to land at Luhansk International Airport when it came under anti-aircraft fire.[1] According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, a heavy machine gun had been used to fire upon the aircraft.[2] According to the Ukrainian Prosecutor's Office, the aircraft was brought down by man-portable air-defense system equipment.[3] It subsequently crashed at 00:51 local time (21:51 on 13 June, UTC); all 49 people on board died.[1][2][4] The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence blamed the pro-Russian separatists for the loss of the aircraft and troops.[1] The aircraft was reported to have been carrying 40 paratroopers of the 25th Separate Dnipropetrovsk Airborne Brigade in addition to its crew.[5]

A military analyst based in Kyiv reported that two empty launch tubes for Igla missiles had been found near the Luhansk airport. Vladimir Inogorodsky, spokesman of the Donetsk People's Republic, confirmed that Igla missiles had been used. Separatists had said a week prior to the downing of the plane that they would not allow any more flights into the airport.[6]

The incident was the worst loss suffered by the Ukrainian military in a single event since the pro-Russian conflict began in February 2014.[4] It was also the fourth deadliest involving the Il-76 and the tenth deadliest aircrash in Ukraine.[7]

According to a Russian source, on 17 June the head of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) Valeriy Bolotov announced that investigators from the LPR were able to find neither armaments nor the body parts of soldiers at the crash site. Bolotov hypothesized that the plane was empty and was intended to transport the bodies of soldiers killed in action, while reaffirming that rebels had shot down the plane.[8]

On 7 October 2017, the Security Service of Ukraine claimed it had established the involvement of the Russian private military company Wagner Group in the downing of the Il-76.[9]

On June 14, 2019, on the fifth anniversary of the shootdown of the aircraft, the Security Service of Ukraine reported that its investigators established direct involvement of Russian Federation Armed Forces lieutenant general Yevgeny Nikiforov, who ordered Dmitry Utkin from "Wagner Group" to destroy the aircraft.[10]

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25th Airborne Brigade (Ukraine)

25th Airborne Brigade (Ukraine)

The 25th Separate Airborne Sicheslav Brigade is an airborne formation of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces.

Kryvyi Rih

Kryvyi Rih

Kryvyi Rih, also known as Krivoy Rog, is a city in central Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Kryvyi Rih Raion and its subordinate Kryvyi Rih urban hromada in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. The city is also part of the Kryvyi Rih Metropolitan Region. Its population is estimated at 603,904, making it the seventh-most populous city in Ukraine and the second largest by area. Kryvyi Rih is also claimed to be the longest city in Europe.

Luhansk International Airport

Luhansk International Airport

Luhansk International Airport was an airport in Luhansk, Ukraine. The airport was located 20 km south of the city center, 9 km to the city limit. Since 11 June 2014, the airport has been officially closed. It was mostly destroyed during the war in Donbas.

Ministry of Defence (Ukraine)

Ministry of Defence (Ukraine)

The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine is the ministry of the Ukrainian government that oversees national defence and the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The head of the ministry is the Minister of Defence. The President of Ukraine is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Man-portable air-defense system

Man-portable air-defense system

Man-portable air-defense systems are portable surface-to-air missiles. They are guided weapons and are a threat to low-flying aircraft, especially helicopters.

Paratrooper

Paratrooper

A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during World War II for troop distribution and transportation. Paratroopers are often used in surprise attacks, to seize strategic objectives such as airfields or bridges.

9K38 Igla

9K38 Igla

The 9K38 Igla is a Russian/Soviet man-portable infrared homing surface-to-air missile (SAM) system. A simplified, earlier version is known as the 9K310 Igla-1, and the latest variant is the 9K338 Igla-S.

Security Service of Ukraine

Security Service of Ukraine

The Security Service of Ukraine or SBU is the law enforcement authority and main intelligence and security agency of the Ukrainian government, in the areas of counter-intelligence activity and combating organized crime and terrorism. The Constitution of Ukraine defines the SBU as a military formation, and its staff are considered military personnel with ranks. It is subordinated directly under the authority of the president of Ukraine. The SBU also operates its own special forces unit, the Alpha Group.

Russia

Russia

Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world encompassing one-eighth of Earth's inhabitable landmass. Russia extends across eleven time zones and shares land boundaries with fourteen countries. It is the world's ninth-most populous country and Europe's most populous country, with a population of over 147 million people. The country's capital and largest city is Moscow. Saint Petersburg is Russia's cultural centre and second-largest city. Other major urban areas include Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, and Kazan.

Private military company

Private military company

A private military company (PMC), private military and security company (PMSC) or mercenary organization is a private company providing armed combat or security services for financial gain. PMCs refer to their personnel as "security contractors" or "private military contractors".

Russian Armed Forces

Russian Armed Forces

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. In terms of active-duty personnel, they are the world's fifth-largest military force, with 1.15 million and at least two million reserve personnel. The CIA lists branches of service as the Ground Forces, the Navy, and the Aerospace Forces, as well as two independent arms of service: the Strategic Rocket Forces and the Airborne Forces. In addition, the Special Operations Forces Command was established in 2013, with an estimated strength in 2022 of 1,000, possibly with additional supporting staff.

Lieutenant general

Lieutenant general

Lieutenant general is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a captain general.

Aircraft

The aircraft was an Ilyushin Il-76MD of the Ukrainian Air Force,[1][11] registration 76777, manufacturer's serial number 0083482490. The aircraft had first flown in 1988.[7]

Originally operated by Aeroflot as CCCP-76777, the aircraft had subsequently served with the Ukrainian Air Force, Azov-Azia Aircompany and Avilond TAC as UR-76777 before serving with Payam Air as EP-TPY. A planned acquisition by the ATI Aircompany did not go ahead, and the aircraft was reacquired by the Ukrainian Air Force.[12]

Discover more about Aircraft related topics

Aircraft registration

Aircraft registration

An aircraft registration is a code unique to a single aircraft, required by international convention to be marked on the exterior of every civil aircraft. The registration indicates the aircraft's country of registration, and functions much like an automobile license plate or a ship registration. This code must also appear in its Certificate of Registration, issued by the relevant civil aviation authority (CAA). An aircraft can only have one registration, in one jurisdiction, though it is changeable over the life of the aircraft.

Aeroflot

Aeroflot

PJSC Aeroflot – Russian Airlines, commonly known as Aeroflot, is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Russia. The airline was founded in 1923, making Aeroflot one of the oldest active airlines in the world. Aeroflot is headquartered in the Central Administrative Okrug, Moscow, with its hub being Sheremetyevo International Airport.

Azov Avia Airlines

Azov Avia Airlines

Azov Avia Airlines was a cargo airline based in Melitopol, Ukraine offering chartered flights using two Ilyushin Il-76MD aircraft. The airline was established and started operations in 1996, and ceased to exist in 2004.

Payam Air

Payam Air

Payam Air is a cargo airline based in Tehran, Iran. It operates cargo services for the Iranian postal, telecom and commercial services. Its main base is Mehrabad International Airport, Tehran.

Reactions

Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko threatened separatists with an "adequate response"[5] and declared 15 June a day of national mourning.[6][13] In a televised emergency meeting, Poroshenko scolded the head of the country's SBU security service for "omissions" in protecting the aircraft. He called for "a detailed analysis of the reasons" for the failure and indicated that personnel changes may be instituted.[14] The acting defense minister of Ukraine Mykhaylo Koval announced that the decision has been made to relieve the chief of staff of the Ukrainian military of his duties for the period of the investigation into the incident.[15]

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk remarked, "They lost their lives because they defended men and women, children and the elderly". He also said: "First, we will commemorate the heroes by wiping out those who killed them and then by cleaning our land from the evil".[16]

In March 2017, a Ukrainian court sentenced Major General Viktor Nazarov to seven years' imprisonment, the court decision stated that Nazarov had received information that the plane could have been fired upon by MANPADS equipment.[17] On 21 May 2021 the Criminal Court of Cassation of the Supreme Court acquitted Nazarov.[18]

During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine at the Battle of Vasylkiv, Lieutenant general Valerii Zaluzhnyi and others on social media referenced the 2014 Ukrainian Il-76 shootdown after reports emerged that two Russian Il-76 were shot down on 26 February 2022. They described the destruction of the two Russian transport aircraft as "revenge" for the loss of all the occupants of the Ukrainian Il-76.[19][20]

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Petro Poroshenko

Petro Poroshenko

Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko is a Ukrainian businessman and politician who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. Poroshenko served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2009 to 2010, and as the Minister of Trade and Economic Development in 2012. From 2007 until 2012, he headed the Council of Ukraine's National Bank. He was elected president on 25 May 2014, receiving 54.7% of the votes cast in the first round, thus winning outright and avoiding a run-off. During his presidency, Poroshenko led the country through the first phase of the war in Donbas, pushing the Russian separatist forces into the Donbas Region. He began the process of integration with the European Union by signing the European Union–Ukraine Association Agreement.

National day of mourning

National day of mourning

A national day of mourning is a day or days marked by mourning and memorial activities observed among the majority of a country's populace. They are designated by the national government. Such days include those marking the death or funeral of a renowned individual or individuals from that country or elsewhere or the anniversary of such a death or deaths, the anniversaries of a significant natural or man-made disaster occurring either in the country or another country, wartime commemorations or in memory of the victims of a terrorist attack. Flying a national or military flag of that country at half-mast is a common symbol.

Security Service of Ukraine

Security Service of Ukraine

The Security Service of Ukraine or SBU is the law enforcement authority and main intelligence and security agency of the Ukrainian government, in the areas of counter-intelligence activity and combating organized crime and terrorism. The Constitution of Ukraine defines the SBU as a military formation, and its staff are considered military personnel with ranks. It is subordinated directly under the authority of the president of Ukraine. The SBU also operates its own special forces unit, the Alpha Group.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk

Arseniy Yatsenyuk

Arseniy Petrovych Yatsenyuk is a Ukrainian politician, economist and lawyer who served as Prime Minister of Ukraine twice – from 27 February 2014 to 27 November 2014 and from 27 November 2014 to 14 April 2016.

Viktor Nazarov (general)

Viktor Nazarov (general)

Viktor Mykolayovych Nazarov is a Ukrainian former army officer, who was ranked a major general of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and First Deputy Chief of the Main Operations Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine until 30 September 2019.

Battle of Vasylkiv

Battle of Vasylkiv

The Battle of Vasylkiv was a military engagement between the Russian Federation and Ukraine on 26 February 2022, during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Lieutenant general

Lieutenant general

Lieutenant general is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a captain general.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi

Valerii Zaluzhnyi

Valerii Fedorovych Zaluzhnyi is a Ukrainian four-star general who has served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 27 July 2021. He is also concurrently a member of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.

Source: "2014 Ukrainian Air Force Il-76 shootdown", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, February 5th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Ukrainian_Air_Force_Il-76_shootdown.

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Further Reading

Sievierodonetsk

Luhansk International Airport

25th Airborne Brigade (Ukraine)

2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election

2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine

Donetsk People's Republic

Russian people's militias in Ukraine

War in Donbas (2014–2022)

Luhansk People's Republic

Siege of the Luhansk Border Base

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17

Igor Plotnitsky

Minsk agreements

Aleksey Mozgovoy

Timeline of the war in Donbas (2014)

Donetsk People's Republic–Russia relations

Outline of the Russo-Ukrainian War
See also
References
  1. ^ a b c d "Ukraine crisis: Military plane shot down in Luhansk". BBC News. 14 June 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Ukrainian Aircraft 'Shot Down By Separatists'". Sky News. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  3. ^ "Ukrainian authorities confirm 49 dead as plane shot down in Lugansk". Information Telegraph Agency of Russia. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Ukraine rebels shoot down military plane, spokesman says 49 dead". Reuters. 14 June 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  5. ^ a b Ensor, Josie (14 June 2014). "Ukraine crisis: rebels shoot down military plane carrying 49". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017.
  6. ^ a b Luhn, Alec (14 June 2014), "Bloodiest day in Ukraine conflict as rebel missiles bring down military jet", Observer, retrieved 14 June 2014
  7. ^ a b "76777 Criminal Occurrence description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  8. ^ Глава ЛНР допускает, что сбитый над Луганском Ил-76 был пустым [Head of the DPR surmises that the il-76 which was shot down over Lugansk was empty], ITAR-TAS (in Russian), 17 June 2014, retrieved 18 June 2014
  9. ^ Hrytsak: SBU uncovers involvement of Russian ‘Wagner PMC’ in destroying Il-76 in Donbas, Debaltseve events, Kyiv Post (7 October 2017)
  10. ^ "СБУ встановила причетність Кремля до збиття українського військово-транспортного літака ІЛ-76". ssu.gov.ua. Archived from the original on 14 June 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2019.(in Ukrainian)
  11. ^ "Ukraine's Poroshenko vows response to Luhansk plane downing". BBC News. 14 June 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  12. ^ "Airframes Profile for: Il-76 msn 83482490". Aero Transport Data Bank. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  13. ^ "Day of mourning for downed Ukrainian army transport plane". Euronews. Archived from the original on 19 June 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  14. ^ McHugh, David; Dobrnjakovic, Marko (14 June 2014), Ukraine vows to punish rebels who downed plane, Associated Press, retrieved 15 June 2014
  15. ^ Глава ГОУ ГШ ВС Украины отстранен из-за расследования дела об ИЛ-76 [Head of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces GOU suspended because of the investigation into the loss of IL-76] (in Russian), RIA Novosti, 15 June 2014, retrieved 15 June 2014
  16. ^ "Ukraine's Prime Minister Yatsenyuk: We will commemorate the heroes by cleaning our land from the evil", Embassy of Ukraine in the United States of America, 15 June 2014, archived from the original on 15 June 2014, retrieved 15 June 2014
  17. ^ (in Ukrainian) Ill-76 disaster: General Nazarov's appeal will be considered first, Ukrayinska Pravda (29 November 2018)
  18. ^ General Nazarov was acquitted in the case of the IL-76 plane shot down over Luhansk Генерала Назарова виправдали у справі збитого над Луганськом літака Іл-76, Ukrayinska Pravda (21 May 2021)
  19. ^ "2 Russian transport jets shot down as attacks continue in Kyiv: Reports". The Week. 26 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  20. ^ Demerly, Tom (26 February 2022). "Reports: "Two Russian Il-76s Shot Down" in Ukraine, Combat Erupts in Kyiv". The Aviationist. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
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