RUSSIA: RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES TOUGHEN SECURITY MEASURES AND VOW TO PREVENT ANY RECURRENCE OF RECENT TWIN AIR CRASHES

Record ID: 649158

  • Title: RUSSIA: RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES TOUGHEN SECURITY MEASURES AND VOW TO PREVENT ANY RECURRENCE OF RECENT TWIN AIR CRASHES
  • Date: 25th August 2004
  • Summary: (W4) MOSCOW, RUSSIA (AUGUST 28, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. EXTERIOR OF TRANSPORT MINISTRY BUILDING 0.06 2. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) IGOR LEVITIN, TRANSPORT MINISTER, SAYING: "We want to have safety measures to be undertaken by Interior Ministry together with the airports. We want not just to impose tougher regulations on air safety but to have them backed with the passage of a new law." 0.26 3. CU: LEVITIN'S HANDS 0.29 4. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) IGOR LEVITIN, TRANSPORT MINISTER, SAYING: "I can say that regulations and demands will be tougher and at the same time we do not want to frighten passengers but after air crashes happened some days ago I think passengers themselves want to be sure that everything is in order once they are seated in an aircraft." 0.57 5. CU: TAPE RECORDERS 1.01 6. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) IGOR LEVITIN, TRANSPORT MINISTER, SAYING: "From today, they (Interior Ministry forces) are being included in teams conducting searches. Safety measures will be shared between the airports and Interior Ministry as a temporary measure till the new law is approved." 1.23 7. CU: TAPE RECORDER 1.28 8. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) IGOR LEVITIN, TRANSPORT MINISTER, SAYING: "According to FIB (Federal Security Service) traces of an explosive were found in the wreckage of the Tu -154 plane and there was so far no such evidence aboard a Tu - 134." 1.43 (W4) DOMODEDOVO AIRPORT, MOSCOW, RUSSIA (AUGUST 25, 2004) (REUTERS) 9. GV: PLANE COMING IN TO LAND 1.47 10. VIEW OF ANOTHER PLANE TAXIING ON TARMAC 1.56 11. MAIN CHECK-IN AREA AT AIRPORT DEPARTURES HALL/ PASSENGERS 1.59 12. AIRPORT SECURITY CHECKS/ PASSENGERS BEING SCREENED 2.06 13. CU: MONITOR SHOWING A SIBIR AIRLINES FLIGHT SCHEDULED FOR SOCHI 2.11 14. MAN BEING CHECKED AT SECURITY BARRIER 2.24 15. VARIOUS OF AIRPORT SECURITY USING SNIFFER DOGS TO CHECK LUGGAGE DUE TO BE LOADED ONTO AIRCRAFT (3 SHOTS) 2.53 16. LUGGAGE BEHIND CAGE 2.57 17. SNIFFER DOG AND HANDLER CHECKING BAGGAGE 3.05 18. PASSENGERS AT DEPARTURE LOUNGE WAITING TO CHECK-IN FOR FLIGHTS 3.11 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 9th September 2004 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
  • Country: Russia
  • Reuters ID: LVADHU28IG794HCKRSR22IFN2VT4
  • Story Text: Russia has toughened security measures following
    twin air crashes.


    Russia toughened security measures on Saturday
    (August 28) and vowed to prevent any recurrence of twin air
    crashes in which investigators were pursuing leads linked
    to terrorism ahead of elections in volatile Chechnya.

    The FSB security service, charged with determining why
    the planes crashed last Tuesday, killing 90 people, says
    traces of explosives were found aboard one doomed aircraft.

    Search teams remained at both crash sites, combing wreckage
    for evidence.

    Investigators have carefully avoided any suggestion
    that Chechen militants were behind the crashes.

    But Russian media have speculated that two passengers,
    believed to be Chechen women, blew up the planes in the
    run-up to Sunday's Chechen election certain to return a
    pro-Moscow president.

    Transport Minister Igor Levitin said his concern was to
    ensure safe air travel. Safety measures, previously
    undertaken solely by airports, would now be shared with the
    Interior Ministry.

    "I can say that regulations and demands will be
    tougher and at the same time we do not want to frighten
    passengers but after air crashes happened some days ago I
    think passengers themselves want to be sure that everything
    is in order once they are seated in an aircraft," he told
    Reuters.

    "From today, they (Interior Ministry officials) are
    being included in teams conducting searches," Levitin,
    ordered by President Vladimir Putin to head a commission
    investigating the crashes, said in an interview.

    Levitin said ministers wanted to enshrine tough
    regulations in a law on air safety. Airports were to be
    provided with new detection equipment partly financed by
    the government.

    The FSB said traces of an explosive used in past
    attacks blamed on Chechen militants were found in the
    wreckage of the Tu-154 plane, which crashed en route from
    Moscow to the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

    Levitin said there was so far no such evidence from a
    Tu-134 plane which came down on its way to Volgograd in
    central Russia.

    NTV television, reporting from the Tu-134 crash site,
    said investigators were leaning towards the notion that the
    second aircraft had also been blown up.

    The television showed coffins draped with wreaths in
    Volgograd, with groups of women dressed in black seated
    nearby. At least one funeral was shown taking place in
    Sochi.

    Russian media said investigators were trying to
    determine whether two women with Chechen names were linked
    to the crashes. The daily Izvestia reported that the
    brother of one woman had been seized by Russian forces in
    Chechnya three years ago.

    Chechnya's Islamist rebels, who denounce the
    presidential election as a farce, have staged spectacular
    attacks to press their independence drive.

    Moderate separatists accuse Russia's special forces of
    spreading misinformation and deny any connection with a
    group which claimed responsibility for the crashes on
    Friday.

    Chechen Interior Minister Alu Alkhanov, backed by the
    Kremlin, is almost sure to win Sunday's poll, called to
    replace a president assassinated in May. He faces six
    obscure rivals.

    Putin first secured election in 1999 by calling for
    tough policies against separatists. He sent Russian troops
    back to the region for the second time since the end of
    Soviet rule.

    Putin links his policy on subduing Chechnya to action
    against international terrorism and has pressed on with
    elections to entrench loyal leaders, but rebels there kill
    Russian troops daily.


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