If you found this video to be interesting, be sure to subscribe as there is a new video every Saturday. This video also went out to my Patrons on Patreon 48 hours before going out publicly. Consider joining here from £3 per month: www.patreon.com/DisasterBreakdown
There's a difference between seeing a Disaster Breakdown title and saying "well interesting" and "hold on wtf". This hijacking may be deserving of the latter
@@skullsaintdead I wonder what that pain could've been. They were way better off than the average Soviet citizen. Being able to travel abroad was for select few only, they could've exploited that endlessly. My Mom was one of these people, as an English translator her services were often needed abroad. Every time she brought back amazing stuff, a new cassette radio (you could buy only one or it would be considered contraband and confiscated) that was sold for an astronomical price - people had money but western goods were not available - I had toys and stuff I could only show to my very best friends because I didn't want to get robbed, I had cassettes of rock music that none of my friends had AND a Sony Walkman to play it on etc. So I don't understand what their ache was to hijack this plane, they could've made tons of money just buying stuff from abroad and selling it. Maybe they were not smart enough or something. Of course there is the possibility that all the roubles in the world couldnt've fed the family if the stores were just empty. I don't know what the situation was in their area. It got pretty bad in the last years of the USSR, but I don't think anyone starved to death. Yet. The years following the collapse were even worse in Russia, but we in the Baltics pushed through and it was a breeze for us compared to what happened in Russia. I think I should stop my rant now, lol.
This is surely the most bizarre and unusual aviation incidents in recorded history? If you told me a family hijacked a plane I’d think something along of the Manson family, not a seemingly regular Soviet family from the middle of Siberia! Amazing video
Regular family? They were musicians and even traveled to Japan. I grew up in Poland in the 80s and until 1991 I didnt even SEE a passenger plane live. I didnt even dream of boarding one. They were privileged yet decided they want to kill innocent people to have a better life..
@@RYANxSCO no need to apologize, I have to apologize if my comment seemed to be aggressive - just emotions.. there were many attempts to escape rhe soviet regime via plane. But this is the first time I hear people trying to escape just killed their fellow civilian citizens without hesitation..
@@bepowerification Which is actually a surprise in itself. I think it is fair to say that Russia has always -- both before and after the Communists took power -- had a rather "casual" attitude towards human life. An officially atheistic regime would likely contribute to an even more utilitarian view of human lives.
There's a story that is similar to this that happened in the 1970's Japan Airlines Flighr 351 was hijacked by the Japanese Red Army Group and was flown to Pyongyang, however they were not in Pyongyang, they were in Seoul. Just like how the air base in Russia, Seoul was decorated in North Korean propaganda. It's a very interesting story.
Indeed, and another fun fact, the JAL Flight 351 history is also somewhat related to music. One of the hijackers was a member of Japanese band Les Rallizes Dénudes.
The "fake the nationality of the airport" part is similar but the circumstance and the outcome is totally different (though I assume you already know). The Japanese Red Army was basically an antigovernmental terrorist organization, and they also managed to get the plane back in air and escaped to North Korea in the end. Although, there were no bloodshed in this case so it was a much more cleaner and (sort of) a happier ending.
This has got to be the most brutal disaster breakdown. I mean family member shooting family member then committing suicide and blowing planes up it just got out of control
Very interesting case, and a great video!! Just a note though, the women in this family would have had "Ovechkina" as their last names, not "Ovechkin" - in the Russian language, most last names change form when a woman bears them. For instance, those last names which end in "-ov", "-ev", and "-in" always take an "a" (hence why Vladimir Putin's ex-wife was Lyudmila Putina) at the end in their feminine form, while with names ending in "-iy" or "-y" those letters are switched out for "-aya" (as such, Alexei Navalny's wife is Yulia Navalnaya).
@@CoMorbiditty Indeed, and although it's understandably strange for those who don't have gendered last names in their native languages, those feminine and masculine forms for last names are no different than gendered pronouns in English. To give some perspective, for me as a Russian speaker, hearing them use the wrong last name form feels a lot like watching a video in English where a cis woman is referred to as "him" throughout. It's unavoidably very odd, even though I completely understand that it's an easy error to make for someone who isn't familiar with Slavic naming customs.
@@CoMorbiditty On a slightly unrelated note, but something you might appreciate as a trans person, Armenian is quite a cool language for the opposite reason: it doesn't gender anything. Everyone, man, woman, non-binary, etc. is "Նա" (na). I wish more languages were like that. 🤍
@@adoberootsOhh... l thought you said it was the feminine version or 'form' of the name?? Thats gender specific. l know a lot of languages are like that.... and also alot have plenty of gender free words in them. Thanks for answering. l find languages facinating
It is not unique for Russians. In other Slavic languages is the same rule, even in Baltic Languages - Latvian and Lithuanian there is even changes to form married female names the suffix -ienė is added (unmarried female names: the suffix -aitė is added to the root if the masculine suffix is -as or -a; the suffixes -utė or -iūtėare are added to the root if the masculine suffix is -us or -ius; the suffix -ytė is added to the root if the masculine suffix is -is, -ys, or -ė).
Not gonna lie when the title mentioned "Aeroflot", the first thing that came to my mnd was the siblings that were in the cockpit. Glad I continued watching, indeed I have never heard of this one and quite a sad tale overall.
The USSR has some of the craziest air disasters, but there are rarely any TV episodes that talk about those accidents, so it's really eye-opening and interesting to see them talked about here, amazing video!
Yeah; from a boy piloting a commercial jet, to a holiday flight that ended in a mid-air collision; and even a military plane flying to Iraq by mistake, or a little navy boat trying to start a new revolution. The old Soviet Union sure has some amazing history!
@@BadWebDiverdidn’t the whole teenager flying a plane thing happen after the dissolution of the ussr? or did a similar incident also happen back in the ussr days
Then there's the aeroflot nord flight where the pilots made a bet on whether they could land blind... let's just say they couldn't. Check out paper skies; he does some good videos on soviet/soviet-adjacent aviation culture and air incidents
i had never heard of this one before the comment asking you to cover it, and i’ve read a lot about plane crashes and near misses. the turnaround on this was pretty quick!
The conclusion is true: they had just to wait 3 more years except that nobody knew at the time how long it would take for the USSR to collapse or even if it would collapse. Keep in mind that 1989 has been a total surprise for the world ...
Well, Gorbachev was already in power in 1988, and there was already liberalization, glastnost and perestroika in the USSR, so it's actually pretty stupid to do something that risky in that period of time
@@michael.shishov Yes, you might be right, I was not living there so I have no expertise on the matter. I just wonder if it was so clear in 1988 for everybody in the Soviet Union that the situation was evolving in an irreversible way. No risk to face a coup or something from conservative leaders taking power and going back to the darkest hours? After all a putsch occured in 1991: it failed but what if it had succeeded?
Hijacking planes as a means of defecting wsan't anything new and it has happened before and since. One if those hijackings is that on 7 March 1983 (nearly 40 years ago and 5 years before the Aeroflot incident) in Bulgaria - during a regularly scheduled flight from Sofia to Varna, four youngsters (between the age of 17 and 22 and had issues with the Bulgarian authorites) tried to hijack the plane in order to re-route the plane to Vienna, Austria. They've managed to get into the plane via fake passports (given their issues with the authorities) and with concealed pocket knives (which were not detected). They take one of the flight attendants hostage (after one of the hijackers simulates sickness) and demand the plane to be re-routed towards Vienna. The special forces in Bulgaria came up with a plan how to deceive the hijackers in believing they're in Vienna by...shutting down the electricity to Varna in order to look like Vienna and the Black Sea looking like the Danube. At the airport the employees (who also speak German) are given Austrian uniforms to keep the deception. However one of the hijackers realizes this and pulls his knife, but the commandos later arrive. In the entire chaos, the leader of the hijackers is killed, the remaining hijackers are arrested and only the flight attendant taken hostage was injured. As of 2022 Bulgaria (which by 1983 was still ruled by the Communist Party and part of the Eastern Bloc) is the only country to cut off the electricity of an entire city in order to save the lives of the passengers on a hijacked plane. Only years later the citizens of Varna (my hometown) will find out why (for the record, I was born way after this incidents, but my relatives remember that the electricity shut down)
@General Bismarck Its amazing how people get brainwashed by anticommunist propaganda that is 70 years old to this day. only kind hearted people can be communists
@@Красиваясоветскаядевушка Yup, all communists are particularly known for their kind hearts. Which is why people are so keen on leaving communism behind. The ones that got to experience it anyway.
This was one of the most insanely tragic stories I've ever heard in my life. I definitely feel for the Ovechkins, I really do. They needed to get out of such a horrible situation, but they chose the absolute WORST option they could possibly have chosen. And as has been said, if they had only made it through 3 more years, bleak as that may be, their outcome could have been so much better. Very well researched story, DB, I had never heard of this one.
I am sure that 3 more years would be more miserable for them if they stay anyway. Not only did they still not able to live due to the system, all the political chaos and much worse hyperinflation would make their live much more miserable than it already is. They seems to not be able to bear the live anymore, so living through 3 more years(which got way worse for each year) probably will be way worse.
@@789know If they were too delicate to stay in the Soviet Union for 3 more years, they should have freakin' defected when they were in Japan. But no, they had to threaten murder, and they actually committed murder. I'll save my sympathy for others.
@@christosvoskresye It was only the boys, The Seven Simeons, who were in Japan. Quite frankly, they should've planned for everyone, mom and the girls included, to go abroad on the next tour and then declared asylum. If that failed, I could see entertaining the plan they came up with here. I'm not saying it was the right thing to do, but I understand where they are coming from.
I've never known and hope to never know what wanting desperately to leave a situation like the USSR, however I feel it would be wrong to judge this family too harshly. Yes I condemn their method, but I don't condemn their intentions.
I have negative sympathy for people like this. Suicidal pilots, Hijackers trying to flee a bad country etc. It's completely selfish to harm others in order to possibly improve your own situation, and honestly, what did they think was going to happen? Imagine they'd actually got to London after they murdered that flight attendant and multiple passengers, did they think they'd just be greeted with open arms and given a home and everything they could ever wish for? They'd be in jail for murder, and I'd imagine even the best jail cell is worse than being free in the soviet union.
@@Jfieldsend94Fair enough. An East German soldier who wanted out simply found a loose security point on the border. He didn't threaten or hurt anyone.
"This might well be the best video I ever made." I'm so happy for you. There's something so incredible and fulfilling about making something you love and that you're proud of, and it showed. I don't like videos typically but I'm liking this one and sharing it. 😊
There are a number of RUclips channels that report on aviation incidents, but your content and narrating technique is on a league of its own. I have watched this video over 5 times since Saturday, please keep up the good work man you have my full support. Hopefully when my financial situation improves I can be part of your Patrons. Thank you once again for the incredible content be blessed.
This was an incredibly well made video on a topic I had never heard of before. I never knew this story, but this was a great way to learn about it and the editing and storytelling was great. Fantastic job!
Oh my gosh. I had never heard of this; what a tragic story! Your narration was spectacular. You built up the suspense and tension perfectly. My heart breaks for the children of this family, torn apart for a vision of freedom.
"For a vision of freedom" , poor family that brutally murdered a flight attendant and passengers only to make career in another country and become much more wealthy :(
@@Красиваясоветскаядевушка I guess I could have worded that better. You are correct, they were wealthy by their standards and perhaps they were more motivated by money. I do feel terrible for the young ones who were affected, though. They did not ask to be born into that family. I hope that you have a great day! By the way - I am unable to read Russian. Can you tell me what the translation of your name is?
@@Красиваясоветскаядевушка I agree with you 100%. The rights and freedoms of one man cannot be at the expense of another, even if you live in an authoritarian country like the Soviet Union, China or Saudi Arabia, everyone has the right to freedom and happiness. Still, no one has the moral right to take other people's lives, human lives that is superior to all other values! I'm not Russian, I'm Polish, maybe now relations between Poland and Russia are not the best, but I respect Russians and other Slavs, I respect all other people in general. The Ovechkins, whatever you say about them, owe all their success to the Soviet Union, maybe the Soviet Union and your Russia, in general, is not an oasis of personal freedom, but man is social and we owe what we have to our societies in which we live, they wanted a better life, which is not wrong, but it is wrong to murder other people to achieve happiness, they were ready to take other people's lives just to escape from the USSR, such selfish behaviour deserves not respect but universal contempt! Anyway, the USSR was on the verge of collapse any moment anyway, they could wait :-( By the way, I really don't like what Russia is doing in Ukraine, I also have a lot to blame on the Ukrainians themselves and they are not saints, but it was Russia who attacked them, not the other way around
When you realize all of this could have been avoided if only they had chosen a plane that actually went abroad and not a domestic flight. No deaths, no weapons, no hijacking need, just like when they visited Japan prior, if they had implemented a better more stealthy plan (with no violence) than what they did nobody would suspect they were planning to defect and they would have most likely flown under the radar and their defection would have been a success. If only they had done their research more thoroughly.
Yup. No “whole family”, and that would have been after getting permission for another tour. And even then they’d have had “minders” on the plane with them. Much better idea would have been to execute the plan on the return leg from Leningrad. Regardless, it’s an awful tale of trauma.
When we looked back, we can surely say they could've just needed to wait for 3 more years. But looking from their perspective back then, it could've possibly be another 30 years.
Another confusing yet brilliant story! What a twist it was to see a family, of all things, hijack a passenger airliner. Can you please do the 2003 Angola B727 disappearance next?
What a tragic waste of human lives. How could that family believe they could accomplish their goal? I know desperation can lead to irrational acts but how can an entire family resort to such an inconceivable act?
Wow! Thanks for this great video. What a fascinating and ultimately tragic story of desperation and forlorn hope. I'm willing to bet there are many similar stories like this one happened during the Soviet era that we know nothing about due to the nature of the USSR with its police state apparatus able to bury any knowledge of events and occurrences like this from reaching the light of day. Great work...I really appreciate the effort and time you obviously had to make in producing this work.
I'd just like to comment out about them being poor. Before going the music route, they had pretty much same life standard of a family with mom working in retail, father drinking and 11 kids anywhere in the world. Compared to how rich people live, ofc it is shit. Before hijacking, they owned not just their rural home, but a 6 rooms 2 kitchen apartment. The kids received grants to study music in one of the best schools. So yeah, think middle class family really, no way destitute. In the years prior to the hijacking, their income dropped (the kids quit music school and stopped the classes, and the quality of their performances dropped too. Also, the kids grew up, so there was no cuteness factor anymore). They kept the property and sold it in 2000s. The destiny of all the 11 kids is actually known. 4 killed in the incident, 4 died in not so good situations, 3 are likely alive today. Special kudos to the oldest daughter, Ludmila. She refused to renounce her mother and siblings, took in the 4 youngest kids and her niece (child that Olga had in prison) despite having 3 kids herself, refused to send the kids to a businessman that wanted to ressurect the Seven Simeons to profit of the scandal. Olga, 2nd, had a baby in jail (the girl stayed with Ludmila). When Olga was released, her daughter lived with her for some time but eventually chose to go back to her aunt. She worked in sales, and was killed by her boyfriend in 2004. Vasili (3rd), Dmitri (4th), Oleg (5th) and Aleksandr (6th) were killed / died in the hijacking. Igor (7th) lived with Olga after they were released, and played in a band. Got married. Got into drugs, went to prison for dealing and was killed in jail in 1999. Tatiana (8th) was taken in by her oldest sister, Ludmila. She got married, had a kid, then divorced. Mikhail (9th) was put in a boarding school but spent lot of time with his oldest sister, Ludmila. He moved to St. Petersburg where graduated and worked in multiple jazz projects. In 2002 moved to Spain. Had a stroke in 2012, still lives in Barcelona. Uliana (10th) lived with her oldest sister, Ludmila. Married in 2000 and had a daughter. Her husband was abusive (ad was killed in a street fight). She suffered a number of mental health issues, probably drinking too. Died somewhere between 2016 and 2020. Sergei (11th) was put in a boarding school but spent lot of time with his oldest sister, Ludmila. He lived with her in 1999. Played in a band with Igor for a while. Tried to get into university (music) but was rejected severak times. After the sale of the apartment, moved to Novosibirsk, where he dies in 2009. Probably he too had drinking problems.
My parents fled Estonia before it was annexed by the Soviet Union. We had family behind the Iron Curtain. I understand people wanting to live freely elsewhere but they could have just defected.
Yup, The 7 brothers could have defected in Japan or perhaps another overseas location. Then they could have fetched the remaining family later. Or more likely, three years later after the fall of the Soviet Union. They would have had a few years to get set up wherever they were. Could have sent money to their family to help with the situation back in Russia. This was tragic and unnecessary.
Well said. Ending other people's lives to improve your own is just about the most despicable thing a human being can do. By the standards of their fellow countrymen, they were privileged. In the end they were cowards, malicious enough to take more innocent lives when they failed. Meanwhile in the DDR, people were making hot air balloons, zip lines, hiding under cars, even driving full throttle at the barriers. Dangerous, but only to themselves, therefore heroic. Two things I find particularly disturbing: the medal-winning mother didn't insist on evacuating women and children, and the whole thing was so badly planned that despite a fuel stop roughly halfway they still expected to reach London.
Having watched most of your videos, i think that this one, is by far the most special and above all the most interesting thanks to its unique story...keep up the good work !!! God bless you !!!
They seemed like a promising family. Wish they could have just defected by traveling to another country, refusing to leave, and applying for asylum instead of hijacking.
This is really cool because I actually have never heard of this one at all. I like all of your videos of course but I have vaguely heard a piece or two about most of the flights featured generally but I haven't heard a single bit about this one at all. It is crazy that a family just went for it like that but I kind of don't blame them becauseof the situation. @DB Keep up the good work sir. 👏👏👏👏👏👍
I have come here after watching the Ethiopian Hijacking video in 2023. This has to be one of, if not the most, bizarre aviation related stories I have ever seen. I mean, I realise they felt desperate to start with but ultimately how twisted was this family to do this? Very sad
"The Ivechkins would only have had to wait three more years." That might as well be an eternity for them. I don't blame them for taking desperate action to escape. That does not excuse their murder of innocent people, however.
I remember watching the documentary about this incident and, oh boy, was it bizarre to me.. The whole situation is just... I don't even have words to describe it. Thank you for covering this story though! Amazing as always!! Love from Russia!!
Communist utopia where they rather kill you and everyone around you, than let you escape. And nothing in russia has changed. Still invading your neighbors and assimilating them like The Borg!
watched the whole video finally... what a heartbreaking story. i just feel bad for everyone involved, the family included. i hope theyre all resting in peace now
Intriguing change of pace. I loved it and agree it may be your best. Hopefully, you will continue to explore different content! Be well and stay safe everyone! 🖖🐢👣
what a tragedy, all around. i can't condone their actions but i can't quite condemn them either. imagine living in such oppression that you'd literally leave everything behind, steal, kill and die just for the slimmest chance to escape.
Also, can you also do the Chosonminhang Ilyushin Il-62 crash in Guinea, it is the only known air crash of a civilian North Korean airline and it happened in Guinea, there’s absolutely nothing on RUclips
This video is fantastic Your delivering technique has me on the edge of my seat .I only wish , your videos were longer.. Again fantastic work thank you.
Wow this is some crazy shit. Thanks for making this story more well known. I was rooting for the family until I realized they were gonna actually murder people. The irony of them all dying 3 years before the collapse is pretty painful. I assumed they would have some reason to get out asap, like being in imminent danger. But apparently not
Wow. Just wow. This ultimately just a sad story. The lengths they were willing to go are astounding. Just a sad end to a lot of lives. I always learn something new from your videos. Excellent work as always.
I've never heard of this before what a story! To think that they could have just gone abroad as the music band on tour then claimed asylum and defected, I don't understand why the Mother didn't at least consider trying to plan an escape that way, it seems so obvious that plan would have had more chance to be successful.
_Only Three More Years..._ * *Standing Ovation.* * _I also applaud you, for your restraint in not saying "The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Gunfire." Shows class!_
Three years. All of them would have survived if they just waited three years. That is so fucking unfortunate. I feel for them. I wouldn't want to live under soviet rule either but it feels like their plan was in no way well thought out, for example the fact that they didn't think about the plane not carrying enough fuel to fly directly to London baffles me.
They absolutely were not terrorists. They were in search of freedom and a much better life. When you catch a glimpse of freedom and hope, you’d do anything to get it back. It’s clear that many people in this comment section are blessed with the gift of hindsight or have been born into privileged lives where they cannot understand this degree of oppression and desperation, or both.
I can understand wanting to leave the country, but there has to have been some easier way than this, given that some of the family were musicians and I guess could have claimed asylum if they travelled to a different country? I don't understand why they didn't try to do that, maybe found some way to smuggle the non-musicians in the family along with them somehow, or just...have them be an 11-person band, or something? :/ What a bizarre story, thank you for sharing.
I can't believe I haven't heard of this before. Great video as always. I usually don't watch hijackings i don't think they are interesting but this was really interesting compare to others.
As you already talked about Finland in this video, I think it's appropriate to mention the hijacking of a Finnair flight from Oulu to Helsinki. It also is a very different kind of hijacking. Not as dark as this one though.
I remember Irkutsk from the board game RISK. We used to call it Irktusk lol. It was a very strategic land to have...in the game. Probably not so much in real life.
Yes, you did a great job of telling this sad and intriguing story. You said they only had to wait 3 years to be able to travel abroad freely, but one has to consider the implication of what became of this family of Russia and how their sad plight could have swayed the thinking of enough people in the right places, along with other events, to cause a change in governmental policies. 😥👀😳
I haven't seen any of your other videos before but this one was really good so well done. I had never heard about this incident and it was fascinating.
I think the local police/security forces did a great job with what little they had. Very few lives were lost, and I think all passengers who were killed by gunfire were killed before the forces stormed the plane (the flight attendant and whoever was killed when the pilots didn't start the engines). That's remarkable! What made them think it was a failure? The fact that the plane was lost? The military officers who beat the escaping passengers - that baffles me. They don't want to take the blame for a successful rescue so they beat the survivors? When untrained forces desperately storm a hijacked airliner, engage in a gun battle, and no innocents are killed in the gun fight (though one by toxic fumes), how is that anything but miraculous? Four dead innocents is a tragedy by any measure, but as air hijacking hostage rescue operations go, this was amazing, especially for untrained improvisation. Lots of luck involved, but still amazing. (Am I missing something?)
You are correct. The pilots did their job well by not only not flying into the international territory and risking being shot down (all passengers would die), but also flying far enough to drain the plane from the fuel to prevent a fiery explosion (with many or all passengers dying), and convincing the hijackers not to set off the bomb in mid-air by flying into what they thought to be Finland (otherwise everyone would die). They saved many people that day. If I were in their shoes, I would have tried going around and used other covert fuel dumping methods before landing, so as to prevent the deadly explosion.
If you found this video to be interesting, be sure to subscribe as there is a new video every Saturday. This video also went out to my Patrons on Patreon 48 hours before going out publicly. Consider joining here from £3 per month: www.patreon.com/DisasterBreakdown
Vietnam airlines flight 474 crash on november 14 1992
Sure it was but flight that is even more interesting is JAT 367
"BRAVO."....Do a story on the 1958 mid-air crash over Las Vegas between a United DC-6 and a U.S. Air Force F-100 Super Saber.
Can you hear sriwijaya air flight 182?
This was done very well and I enjoyed the amount of time and detail you put into this. I would love to see more of this caliber. Cheers!
There's a difference between seeing a Disaster Breakdown title and saying "well interesting" and "hold on wtf". This hijacking may be deserving of the latter
The most haunting words... "just three more years".
Well done.
Yet Russians wanted the communists party back in 1993
_Standing ovation._
That is a long time when you're in pain.
@@skullsaintdead I wonder what that pain could've been. They were way better off than the average Soviet citizen. Being able to travel abroad was for select few only, they could've exploited that endlessly. My Mom was one of these people, as an English translator her services were often needed abroad. Every time she brought back amazing stuff, a new cassette radio (you could buy only one or it would be considered contraband and confiscated) that was sold for an astronomical price - people had money but western goods were not available - I had toys and stuff I could only show to my very best friends because I didn't want to get robbed, I had cassettes of rock music that none of my friends had AND a Sony Walkman to play it on etc.
So I don't understand what their ache was to hijack this plane, they could've made tons of money just buying stuff from abroad and selling it. Maybe they were not smart enough or something. Of course there is the possibility that all the roubles in the world couldnt've fed the family if the stores were just empty. I don't know what the situation was in their area. It got pretty bad in the last years of the USSR, but I don't think anyone starved to death. Yet. The years following the collapse were even worse in Russia, but we in the Baltics pushed through and it was a breeze for us compared to what happened in Russia.
I think I should stop my rant now, lol.
Such an incredibly tragic story.
This is surely the most bizarre and unusual aviation incidents in recorded history? If you told me a family hijacked a plane I’d think something along of the Manson family, not a seemingly regular Soviet family from the middle of Siberia! Amazing video
Regular family? They were musicians and even traveled to Japan. I grew up in Poland in the 80s and until 1991 I didnt even SEE a passenger plane live. I didnt even dream of boarding one. They were privileged yet decided they want to kill innocent people to have a better life..
@@bepowerification Agreed. They both threatened murder and actually committed murder. In their own way, they were as messed up as the Manson family.
@@bepowerification regular is the wrong word to use in this scenario, my apologies. It is fascinating regardless
@@RYANxSCO no need to apologize, I have to apologize if my comment seemed to be aggressive - just emotions.. there were many attempts to escape rhe soviet regime via plane. But this is the first time I hear people trying to escape just killed their fellow civilian citizens without hesitation..
@@bepowerification Which is actually a surprise in itself. I think it is fair to say that Russia has always -- both before and after the Communists took power -- had a rather "casual" attitude towards human life. An officially atheistic regime would likely contribute to an even more utilitarian view of human lives.
There's a story that is similar to this that happened in the 1970's
Japan Airlines Flighr 351 was hijacked by the Japanese Red Army Group and was flown to Pyongyang, however they were not in Pyongyang, they were in Seoul. Just like how the air base in Russia, Seoul was decorated in North Korean propaganda. It's a very interesting story.
Indeed, and another fun fact, the JAL Flight 351 history is also somewhat related to music. One of the hijackers was a member of Japanese band Les Rallizes Dénudes.
Yeah, I remember watching Kento Bento's video about this one.
@@TirakyneTripleA same, i was like wtf, how many times has this happend lol
The "fake the nationality of the airport" part is similar but the circumstance and the outcome is totally different (though I assume you already know).
The Japanese Red Army was basically an antigovernmental terrorist organization, and they also managed to get the plane back in air and escaped to North Korea in the end. Although, there were no bloodshed in this case so it was a much more cleaner and (sort of) a happier ending.
Oh I remember this one
This has got to be the most brutal disaster breakdown. I mean family member shooting family member then committing suicide and blowing planes up it just got out of control
Thanks spoiler 😭 I like to read comments while wAtching. Oh well my fault haha!
@@GavinSmith1993 oops 😅
Noooo why spoil
@@iscuit i didn’t mean to… 😬
@@JoePez its ok!
Very interesting case, and a great video!! Just a note though, the women in this family would have had "Ovechkina" as their last names, not "Ovechkin" - in the Russian language, most last names change form when a woman bears them. For instance, those last names which end in "-ov", "-ev", and "-in" always take an "a" (hence why Vladimir Putin's ex-wife was Lyudmila Putina) at the end in their feminine form, while with names ending in "-iy" or "-y" those letters are switched out for "-aya" (as such, Alexei Navalny's wife is Yulia Navalnaya).
Wow thats really gender specific stuff
@@CoMorbiditty Indeed, and although it's understandably strange for those who don't have gendered last names in their native languages, those feminine and masculine forms for last names are no different than gendered pronouns in English. To give some perspective, for me as a Russian speaker, hearing them use the wrong last name form feels a lot like watching a video in English where a cis woman is referred to as "him" throughout. It's unavoidably very odd, even though I completely understand that it's an easy error to make for someone who isn't familiar with Slavic naming customs.
@@CoMorbiditty On a slightly unrelated note, but something you might appreciate as a trans person, Armenian is quite a cool language for the opposite reason: it doesn't gender anything. Everyone, man, woman, non-binary, etc. is "Նա" (na). I wish more languages were like that. 🤍
@@adoberootsOhh... l thought you said it was the feminine version or 'form' of the name?? Thats gender specific. l know a lot of languages are like that.... and also alot have plenty of gender free words in them. Thanks for answering. l find languages facinating
It is not unique for Russians. In other Slavic languages is the same rule, even in Baltic Languages - Latvian and Lithuanian there is even changes to form married female names the suffix -ienė is added (unmarried female names: the suffix -aitė is added to the root if the masculine suffix is -as or -a; the suffixes -utė or -iūtėare are added to the root if the masculine suffix is -us or -ius; the suffix -ytė is added to the root if the masculine suffix is -is, -ys, or -ė).
Not gonna lie when the title mentioned "Aeroflot", the first thing that came to my mnd was the siblings that were in the cockpit. Glad I continued watching, indeed I have never heard of this one and quite a sad tale overall.
I thought the same
The USSR has some of the craziest air disasters, but there are rarely any TV episodes that talk about those accidents, so it's really eye-opening and interesting to see them talked about here, amazing video!
Yeah; from a boy piloting a commercial jet, to a holiday flight that ended in a mid-air collision; and even a military plane flying to Iraq by mistake, or a little navy boat trying to start a new revolution. The old Soviet Union sure has some amazing history!
@@BadWebDiverdidn’t the whole teenager flying a plane thing happen after the dissolution of the ussr? or did a similar incident also happen back in the ussr days
@@calzoneyyy Yeah, it might have. They were dealing with a new Airbus.
Then there's the aeroflot nord flight where the pilots made a bet on whether they could land blind... let's just say they couldn't. Check out paper skies; he does some good videos on soviet/soviet-adjacent aviation culture and air incidents
@@calzoneyyy Yeah. It's happened at least 4 times, probably more!
i had never heard of this one before the comment asking you to cover it, and i’ve read a lot about plane crashes and near misses. the turnaround on this was pretty quick!
Had they all survived, they'd have won an all expense-paid trip to Siberia!
The conclusion is true: they had just to wait 3 more years except that nobody knew at the time how long it would take for the USSR to collapse or even if it would collapse. Keep in mind that 1989 has been a total surprise for the world ...
Well, Gorbachev was already in power in 1988, and there was already liberalization, glastnost and perestroika in the USSR, so it's actually pretty stupid to do something that risky in that period of time
@@michael.shishov Yes, you might be right, I was not living there so I have no expertise on the matter. I just wonder if it was so clear in 1988 for everybody in the Soviet Union that the situation was evolving in an irreversible way. No risk to face a coup or something from conservative leaders taking power and going back to the darkest hours? After all a putsch occured in 1991: it failed but what if it had succeeded?
@@patolt1628 nobody felt free in 1991
... and now Russia has gone back to unbridled totalitarianism, and is more dangerous than it ever was when there was a Politburo and a ruling Party.
@@michael.shishov Considering where they lived, would it be possible that they weren't privy to all of the changes that were happening?
Hijacking planes as a means of defecting wsan't anything new and it has happened before and since. One if those hijackings is that on 7 March 1983 (nearly 40 years ago and 5 years before the Aeroflot incident) in Bulgaria - during a regularly scheduled flight from Sofia to Varna, four youngsters (between the age of 17 and 22 and had issues with the Bulgarian authorites) tried to hijack the plane in order to re-route the plane to Vienna, Austria. They've managed to get into the plane via fake passports (given their issues with the authorities) and with concealed pocket knives (which were not detected). They take one of the flight attendants hostage (after one of the hijackers simulates sickness) and demand the plane to be re-routed towards Vienna. The special forces in Bulgaria came up with a plan how to deceive the hijackers in believing they're in Vienna by...shutting down the electricity to Varna in order to look like Vienna and the Black Sea looking like the Danube. At the airport the employees (who also speak German) are given Austrian uniforms to keep the deception. However one of the hijackers realizes this and pulls his knife, but the commandos later arrive. In the entire chaos, the leader of the hijackers is killed, the remaining hijackers are arrested and only the flight attendant taken hostage was injured. As of 2022 Bulgaria (which by 1983 was still ruled by the Communist Party and part of the Eastern Bloc) is the only country to cut off the electricity of an entire city in order to save the lives of the passengers on a hijacked plane. Only years later the citizens of Varna (my hometown) will find out why (for the record, I was born way after this incidents, but my relatives remember that the electricity shut down)
@General Bismarck Its amazing how people get brainwashed by anticommunist propaganda that is 70 years old to this day. only kind hearted people can be communists
@@Красиваясоветскаядевушка Yup, all communists are particularly known for their kind hearts. Which is why people are so keen on leaving communism behind. The ones that got to experience it anyway.
@@PaulHoleybatch 215 million people lived in the USSR , while 300 million people left the USSR , Mr. Goebbels
@@Красиваясоветскаядевушка People were leaving this hellhole back then
@@davidnavarro4821 I would also leave when Gorbachev began to rule
This was one of the most insanely tragic stories I've ever heard in my life. I definitely feel for the Ovechkins, I really do. They needed to get out of such a horrible situation, but they chose the absolute WORST option they could possibly have chosen. And as has been said, if they had only made it through 3 more years, bleak as that may be, their outcome could have been so much better.
Very well researched story, DB, I had never heard of this one.
Killing innocents to live a better life? No, I don't feel for them.
I am sure that 3 more years would be more miserable for them if they stay anyway. Not only did they still not able to live due to the system, all the political chaos and much worse hyperinflation would make their live much more miserable than it already is. They seems to not be able to bear the live anymore, so living through 3 more years(which got way worse for each year) probably will be way worse.
@@789know If they were too delicate to stay in the Soviet Union for 3 more years, they should have freakin' defected when they were in Japan. But no, they had to threaten murder, and they actually committed murder. I'll save my sympathy for others.
@@christosvoskresye
It was only the boys, The Seven Simeons, who were in Japan.
Quite frankly, they should've planned for everyone, mom and the girls included, to go abroad on the next tour and then declared asylum.
If that failed, I could see entertaining the plan they came up with here.
I'm not saying it was the right thing to do, but I understand where they are coming from.
@@EmperorGoliaththeEverliving Sorry, but no. Murdering women and children so you can enjoy a Big Mac is never OK. The ends do NOT justify the means.
I've never known and hope to never know what wanting desperately to leave a situation like the USSR, however I feel it would be wrong to judge this family too harshly.
Yes I condemn their method, but I don't condemn their intentions.
I agree.
@@thatanoynomousdude8082 because 1988 the Soviets were in an economic crisis
I don't see why government would just let them move.
I have negative sympathy for people like this. Suicidal pilots, Hijackers trying to flee a bad country etc. It's completely selfish to harm others in order to possibly improve your own situation, and honestly, what did they think was going to happen? Imagine they'd actually got to London after they murdered that flight attendant and multiple passengers, did they think they'd just be greeted with open arms and given a home and everything they could ever wish for? They'd be in jail for murder, and I'd imagine even the best jail cell is worse than being free in the soviet union.
@@Jfieldsend94Fair enough. An East German soldier who wanted out simply found a loose security point on the border. He didn't threaten or hurt anyone.
"This might well be the best video I ever made." I'm so happy for you. There's something so incredible and fulfilling about making something you love and that you're proud of, and it showed. I don't like videos typically but I'm liking this one and sharing it. 😊
I like the different style and the whole backstory part of the family’s life. I wasn’t expecting that
There are a number of RUclips channels that report on aviation incidents, but your content and narrating technique is on a league of its own. I have watched this video over 5 times since Saturday, please keep up the good work man you have my full support. Hopefully when my financial situation improves I can be part of your Patrons. Thank you once again for the incredible content be blessed.
This was an incredibly well made video on a topic I had never heard of before. I never knew this story, but this was a great way to learn about it and the editing and storytelling was great. Fantastic job!
I swear the guy that does the narration has a perfect voice for these videos. 👏🏼
This is a truly bizarre incident that I have never heard anything about. Thanks for making this great video about it!
Oh my gosh. I had never heard of this; what a tragic story! Your narration was spectacular. You built up the suspense and tension perfectly. My heart breaks for the children of this family, torn apart for a vision of freedom.
"For a vision of freedom" , poor family that brutally murdered a flight attendant and passengers only to make career in another country and become much more wealthy :(
@@Красиваясоветскаядевушка I guess I could have worded that better. You are correct, they were wealthy by their standards and perhaps they were more motivated by money. I do feel terrible for the young ones who were affected, though. They did not ask to be born into that family.
I hope that you have a great day! By the way - I am unable to read Russian. Can you tell me what the translation of your name is?
@@Красиваясоветскаядевушка
I agree with you 100%.
The rights and freedoms of one man cannot be at the expense of another, even if you live in an authoritarian country like the Soviet Union, China or Saudi Arabia, everyone has the right to freedom and happiness. Still, no one has the moral right to take other people's lives, human lives that is superior to all other values!
I'm not Russian, I'm Polish, maybe now relations between Poland and Russia are not the best, but I respect Russians and other Slavs, I respect all other people in general. The Ovechkins, whatever you say about them, owe all their success to the Soviet Union, maybe the Soviet Union and your Russia, in general, is not an oasis of personal freedom, but man is social and we owe what we have to our societies in which we live, they wanted a better life, which is not wrong, but it is wrong to murder other people to achieve happiness, they were ready to take other people's lives just to escape from the USSR, such selfish behaviour deserves not respect but universal contempt!
Anyway, the USSR was on the verge of collapse any moment anyway, they could wait :-(
By the way, I really don't like what Russia is doing in Ukraine, I also have a lot to blame on the Ukrainians themselves and they are not saints, but it was Russia who attacked them, not the other way around
When you realize all of this could have been avoided if only they had chosen a plane that actually went abroad and not a domestic flight. No deaths, no weapons, no hijacking need, just like when they visited Japan prior, if they had implemented a better more stealthy plan (with no violence) than what they did nobody would suspect they were planning to defect and they would have most likely flown under the radar and their defection would have been a success. If only they had done their research more thoroughly.
or started the process right after takeoff from irkutsk and not much later when flying in the middle of the largest country on earth.
That wasn't be allowed back then, the whole family couldn't travel abroad.
Yup. No “whole family”, and that would have been after getting permission for another tour. And even then they’d have had “minders” on the plane with them.
Much better idea would have been to execute the plan on the return leg from Leningrad.
Regardless, it’s an awful tale of trauma.
You told this important story compassionately well while remaining true to your channel's value proposition. Bravo 👏
This was extremely well done. I like all the videos but you could tell this one had some love in it. Kudos
When we looked back, we can surely say they could've just needed to wait for 3 more years.
But looking from their perspective back then, it could've possibly be another 30 years.
And a little more than 30 years later, the USSR appears to be coming back.
@@0x8badf00d What? You think Putin is a communist lol? He said himself he doesn't want the USSR back
Another confusing yet brilliant story! What a twist it was to see a family, of all things, hijack a passenger airliner. Can you please do the 2003 Angola B727 disappearance next?
I literally come to RUclips just looking for DB new videos! Love the channel, keep up the great work! ❤️🛫
Thanks I'm glad you like the content!
how come i've never heard of this?? that's insane!
also, keep up the good work!
This is such an unusual and tragic story. Thank you for covering it!
What a shame that the soviets where so against them just being able to leave that they decided to go as far as wasting the passengers lives.
They must have had secrets, like the telephone number of the Kremlin.
This was the best one I've heard from your channel and the first thing I watched when I woke up this morning 😍
Thank you!
What a tragic waste of human lives. How could that family believe they could accomplish their goal? I know desperation can lead to irrational acts but how can an entire family resort to such an inconceivable act?
Wow! Thanks for this great video. What a fascinating and ultimately tragic story of desperation and forlorn hope. I'm willing to bet there are many similar stories like this one happened during the Soviet era that we know nothing about due to the nature of the USSR with its police state apparatus able to bury any knowledge of events and occurrences like this from reaching the light of day. Great work...I really appreciate the effort and time you obviously had to make in producing this work.
And the USA doesnt try to hide anything from the public ^^
I'd just like to comment out about them being poor. Before going the music route, they had pretty much same life standard of a family with mom working in retail, father drinking and 11 kids anywhere in the world. Compared to how rich people live, ofc it is shit. Before hijacking, they owned not just their rural home, but a 6 rooms 2 kitchen apartment. The kids received grants to study music in one of the best schools. So yeah, think middle class family really, no way destitute. In the years prior to the hijacking, their income dropped (the kids quit music school and stopped the classes, and the quality of their performances dropped too. Also, the kids grew up, so there was no cuteness factor anymore).
They kept the property and sold it in 2000s.
The destiny of all the 11 kids is actually known. 4 killed in the incident, 4 died in not so good situations, 3 are likely alive today.
Special kudos to the oldest daughter, Ludmila. She refused to renounce her mother and siblings, took in the 4 youngest kids and her niece (child that Olga had in prison) despite having 3 kids herself, refused to send the kids to a businessman that wanted to ressurect the Seven Simeons to profit of the scandal.
Olga, 2nd, had a baby in jail (the girl stayed with Ludmila). When Olga was released, her daughter lived with her for some time but eventually chose to go back to her aunt. She worked in sales, and was killed by her boyfriend in 2004.
Vasili (3rd), Dmitri (4th), Oleg (5th) and Aleksandr (6th) were killed / died in the hijacking.
Igor (7th) lived with Olga after they were released, and played in a band. Got married. Got into drugs, went to prison for dealing and was killed in jail in 1999.
Tatiana (8th) was taken in by her oldest sister, Ludmila. She got married, had a kid, then divorced.
Mikhail (9th) was put in a boarding school but spent lot of time with his oldest sister, Ludmila. He moved to St. Petersburg where graduated and worked in multiple jazz projects. In 2002 moved to Spain. Had a stroke in 2012, still lives in Barcelona.
Uliana (10th) lived with her oldest sister, Ludmila. Married in 2000 and had a daughter. Her husband was abusive (ad was killed in a street fight). She suffered a number of mental health issues, probably drinking too. Died somewhere between 2016 and 2020.
Sergei (11th) was put in a boarding school but spent lot of time with his oldest sister, Ludmila. He lived with her in 1999. Played in a band with Igor for a while. Tried to get into university (music) but was rejected severak times. After the sale of the apartment, moved to Novosibirsk, where he dies in 2009. Probably he too had drinking problems.
Thank you for the update!
My parents fled Estonia before it was annexed by the Soviet Union. We had family behind the Iron Curtain. I understand people wanting to live freely elsewhere but they could have just defected.
If they could have just defected why do you think they would not choose that
@@iLLBiLLsRoastBeats Maybe they would have had to leave some family members behind. Just a guess.
Yup, The 7 brothers could have defected in Japan or perhaps another overseas location. Then they could have fetched the remaining family later. Or more likely, three years later after the fall of the Soviet Union. They would have had a few years to get set up wherever they were. Could have sent money to their family to help with the situation back in Russia. This was tragic and unnecessary.
Well said. Ending other people's lives to improve your own is just about the most despicable thing a human being can do. By the standards of their fellow countrymen, they were privileged. In the end they were cowards, malicious enough to take more innocent lives when they failed. Meanwhile in the DDR, people were making hot air balloons, zip lines, hiding under cars, even driving full throttle at the barriers. Dangerous, but only to themselves, therefore heroic. Two things I find particularly disturbing: the medal-winning mother didn't insist on evacuating women and children, and the whole thing was so badly planned that despite a fuel stop roughly halfway they still expected to reach London.
Who was the medal-winning mother?
Having watched most of your videos, i think that this one, is by far the most special and above all the most interesting thanks to its unique story...keep up the good work !!! God bless you !!!
Extremely well done. I’d love to see more like this
They seemed like a promising family. Wish they could have just defected by traveling to another country, refusing to leave, and applying for asylum instead of hijacking.
This is really cool because I actually have never heard of this one at all. I like all of your videos of course but I have vaguely heard a piece or two about most of the flights featured generally but I haven't heard a single bit about this one at all. It is crazy that a family just went for it like that but I kind of don't blame them becauseof the situation. @DB Keep up the good work sir. 👏👏👏👏👏👍
This was a very interesting production DB. Thank you for your thorough work in this.
I have come here after watching the Ethiopian Hijacking video in 2023. This has to be one of, if not the most, bizarre aviation related stories I have ever seen. I mean, I realise they felt desperate to start with but ultimately how twisted was this family to do this? Very sad
Very well done. The narration was clear and concise, and the video/graphics/simulations were somewhat of the best I’ve seen. Thank you
"The Ivechkins would only have had to wait three more years."
That might as well be an eternity for them. I don't blame them for taking desperate action to escape. That does not excuse their murder of innocent people, however.
This is a very well made video. I appreciate the style and the accuracy. I am a follower of the channel, now. Good job and greatings from France.
That was one of the most insane videos I have seen from the Channel Amazing work. I was at the edge of my seat. I love your work.
I can’t believe I’d never heard of this! Thanks for presenting an excellent video detailing this crazy and tragic incident. Great channel!
I remember watching the documentary about this incident and, oh boy, was it bizarre to me.. The whole situation is just... I don't even have words to describe it.
Thank you for covering this story though! Amazing as always!!
Love from Russia!!
The commentary section is just ....
Communist utopia where they rather kill you and everyone around you, than let you escape. And nothing in russia has changed.
Still invading your neighbors and assimilating them like The Borg!
@@richardtwat8803 Change communist to *capitalist , because nobody was killed in the USSR
Thank you for covering this! I read the wiki article a few months back but couldn't find any more info on the hijacking
I've never heard of this story, so sad. However, this video is one of the best I've seen by you! Fantastic job!
i'd never heard about this incident, thank you for this video
watched the whole video finally... what a heartbreaking story. i just feel bad for everyone involved, the family included. i hope theyre all resting in peace now
yes, indeed this is the best video you made and i CAN FEEL YOUR HARD WORK. congratulationULATION.
That blew me away, great video, well done man.
Love the video mate ,keep up the great word and have a great week.
Thanks, you too!
Intriguing change of pace. I loved it and agree it may be your best. Hopefully, you will continue to explore different content! Be well and stay safe everyone! 🖖🐢👣
Great video! I have never heard of this one before. You definitely earned my subscription! Thank you for the quality work!
what a tragedy, all around. i can't condone their actions but i can't quite condemn them either. imagine living in such oppression that you'd literally leave everything behind, steal, kill and die just for the slimmest chance to escape.
So you basically justify terrorist actions. AlQaeda and Daesh always talk about how they are oppressed, so you don't condemn their actions?
Tx u ..have never heard of this before anywhere..u did a fantastic job
Also, can you also do the Chosonminhang Ilyushin Il-62 crash in Guinea, it is the only known air crash of a civilian North Korean airline and it happened in Guinea, there’s absolutely nothing on RUclips
This video is fantastic Your delivering technique has me on the edge of my seat .I only wish , your videos were longer.. Again fantastic work thank you.
Wow this is some crazy shit. Thanks for making this story more well known. I was rooting for the family until I realized they were gonna actually murder people. The irony of them all dying 3 years before the collapse is pretty painful. I assumed they would have some reason to get out asap, like being in imminent danger. But apparently not
That was super interesting and I can't believe I've never heard of this story before. Very good stuff!
Wow. Just wow. This ultimately just a sad story. The lengths they were willing to go are astounding. Just a sad end to a lot of lives. I always learn something new from your videos. Excellent work as always.
Outstanding story and video. Freedom is a precious thing. Thank you for helping preserve their memory.
I've never heard of this before what a story! To think that they could have just gone abroad as the music band on tour then claimed asylum and defected, I don't understand why the Mother didn't at least consider trying to plan an escape that way, it seems so obvious that plan would have had more chance to be successful.
Your best one yet… loved it well done
This is your best video yet 😂😂 GREAT VIDEO
Thankyou, I just subscribed because I appreciate your work. Much Love from the Philippines
Amazing and crazy story. Great research, and beautiful presentation. The desperation of the family is barely imaginable. Thank you, great video.
oh wow...never heard of this story before! Extraordinary work!
Wow, I never heard of this. Tragic on so many levels. Thank you for the video.
thanks for all your work and publicizing this sad and odd documentary
Thank you for this video mate. If not for you, it will forever be forgotten. And damn, 11 years, worth celebrating, aint it?
Amazing unheard story despite I'm an Estonian, a country very close to that airfield.
Thankyou for this video!
Great work, man!
Intreresting, how did this even happen? and how have I never heard if it? This seems like a great video, I’m very excited!!
Hope you enjoyed it!
@@DisasterBreakdown it’s super good so far!! Amazing quality video!!
The most painful part of this has to be how close 1988 was to the end of the soviet union in December 1990. Such a sad story😢.
Amazing video. Thank you for all the work that we to it. Fascinating.
Thank you very much for reporting on the disaster that I've never heard of!!
_Only Three More Years..._
* *Standing Ovation.* *
_I also applaud you, for your restraint in not saying "The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Gunfire." Shows class!_
Very interesting ! Thank you for the video
Three years. All of them would have survived if they just waited three years. That is so fucking unfortunate. I feel for them. I wouldn't want to live under soviet rule either but it feels like their plan was in no way well thought out, for example the fact that they didn't think about the plane not carrying enough fuel to fly directly to London baffles me.
They're musicians, not pilots. I'll bet that they said London simply because the only other city in western Europe they knew of was Paris.
I had never heard the story before. The whole thing is crazy. Not the least of which is the Soviet officers beating innocent passengers
That sounded very strange , why should they have beaten them?
That was incredibly well presented. What a wild series of events. I can’t believe I’ve never heard of this.
They absolutely were not terrorists. They were in search of freedom and a much better life. When you catch a glimpse of freedom and hope, you’d do anything to get it back. It’s clear that many people in this comment section are blessed with the gift of hindsight or have been born into privileged lives where they cannot understand this degree of oppression and desperation, or both.
I can understand wanting to leave the country, but there has to have been some easier way than this, given that some of the family were musicians and I guess could have claimed asylum if they travelled to a different country? I don't understand why they didn't try to do that, maybe found some way to smuggle the non-musicians in the family along with them somehow, or just...have them be an 11-person band, or something? :/ What a bizarre story, thank you for sharing.
I can't believe I haven't heard of this before. Great video as always. I usually don't watch hijackings i don't think they are interesting but this was really interesting compare to others.
As you already talked about Finland in this video, I think it's appropriate to mention the hijacking of a Finnair flight from Oulu to Helsinki. It also is a very different kind of hijacking. Not as dark as this one though.
Wow. Fascinating video. One of my very favorites of yours !!
I remember Irkutsk from the board game RISK. We used to call it Irktusk lol. It was a very strategic land to have...in the game. Probably not so much in real life.
Great documentary! Brilliant choice in topic, tnx for your hard work and dedication
Yes, you did a great job of telling this sad and intriguing story. You said they only had to wait 3 years to be able to travel abroad freely, but one has to consider the implication of what became of this family of Russia and how their sad plight could have swayed the thinking of enough people in the right places, along with other events, to cause a change in governmental policies. 😥👀😳
I haven't seen any of your other videos before but this one was really good so well done. I had never heard about this incident and it was fascinating.
Yet another great video as always! Thank you
What a despicable family. Poor passengers and flight
They wanted to make a muscial career in another country in order to become rich . Money was the reason they hijacked the plane
Incredible storytelling !!! Well done 👍🏽
I think the local police/security forces did a great job with what little they had. Very few lives were lost, and I think all passengers who were killed by gunfire were killed before the forces stormed the plane (the flight attendant and whoever was killed when the pilots didn't start the engines). That's remarkable! What made them think it was a failure? The fact that the plane was lost? The military officers who beat the escaping passengers - that baffles me. They don't want to take the blame for a successful rescue so they beat the survivors? When untrained forces desperately storm a hijacked airliner, engage in a gun battle, and no innocents are killed in the gun fight (though one by toxic fumes), how is that anything but miraculous? Four dead innocents is a tragedy by any measure, but as air hijacking hostage rescue operations go, this was amazing, especially for untrained improvisation. Lots of luck involved, but still amazing. (Am I missing something?)
You are correct. The pilots did their job well by not only not flying into the international territory and risking being shot down (all passengers would die), but also flying far enough to drain the plane from the fuel to prevent a fiery explosion (with many or all passengers dying), and convincing the hijackers not to set off the bomb in mid-air by flying into what they thought to be Finland (otherwise everyone would die). They saved many people that day. If I were in their shoes, I would have tried going around and used other covert fuel dumping methods before landing, so as to prevent the deadly explosion.
Thank you. I really enjoyed watching and it told me history I never knew. Proper job👍
A sad & tragic story, very well documented & presented. Love the channel - please keep it up.
thanks for making this story it is so inspiring , and insists on patience