How the special forces of the KGB of the USSR freed a plane captured by terrorists in Ufa

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Sometimes on TV you can hear how the special forces group "Alpha" conducted the next exercises. The reports from the exercises most often feature footage of the practice of storming the plane. Many may ask: why is this necessary at all? However, if we turn to the history of not even global, but domestic terrorist attacks, it quickly becomes clear that even in the Soviet era, aircraft hijackings were not uncommon. One such case will be discussed.

The beginning of the terrorist attack

All future terrorists served in the internal troops unit in Ufa. A group of servicemen (all from 1 year of service at the time of the conspiracy) agreed to desert, hijack the plane and flee the country. Confidence in the success of the terrorist attack gave the soldiers the fact that they had been trained in the framework of the "Nabat" plan, which was introduced in the USSR in the event of an aircraft hijacking.

It is noteworthy that a number of officers of the military unit knew about such conversations, but did not take them seriously, taking them for jokes. It all started on September 20, 1986. However, at that time, only three out of seven had decided to participate in the event. They were 20-year-old junior sergeant Nikolai Matsnev, 19-year-old private Alexander Konoval, and 19-year-old private Sergei Yagmurdzhi.

The three intruders waited until they were assigned to a company squad, after which they entered the weapons room, seized an SVD sniper rifle, an AK-74 and a Kalashnikov light machine gun with ammunition. Immediately after that, the soldiers deserted from the military unit. They did not immediately grab those who left the location without permission.

Hijacking the plane

After leaving the unit's location, three deserters hijacked a taxi with a driver. Threatening the citizen with reprisals, the young people went to the airport, but on the way they decided to seize a police UAZ. Having watched a police car near the traffic police post, the deserters opened fire. Policemen sergeant Ayrat Galeev and sergeant Zalfir Akhtyamov were killed under fire. Immediately after that, Private Konoval threw down his weapon and, frightened by the continuation of the venture, fled. The taxi driver begged to be spared and the terrorists gave him life.

Having reached the airport, the deserters crossed the drainage canal and entered the runway, where they waited for the Tu-134 (board USSR-65877) to take off, following the Kiev-Ufa-Nizhnevartovsk route. The deserters hijacked the plane by force of arms and demanded that the crew surrender their pistols. As a result, 5 crew members and 76 passengers were under their control. The terrorists demanded to take off immediately.

A well-trained and self-confident crew managed to "chat" the terrorists and gain time for the police forces and the KGB of the USSR, hurrying to the airport to help. The place was cordoned off, a negotiation team was delivered to the plane. Group "A" of the special forces of the State Security Committee was preparing for the worst development of events.

Negotiations with the deserters were conducted by their former company commander, but they did not bring much success. Suddenly, shooting rang out inside the side. Later it turned out that one of the passengers - Aleksandr Ermolenko, an oil worker who followed his shift to Nizhnevartovsk, entered into a verbal skirmish with the terrorists, trying to shame the young people, for which he was killed. Another passenger, Yaroslav Tihansky, was also seriously wounded during the shooting. He subsequently died.

Assault and aftermath

The situation was heating up. However, after the shooting in the cabin, the negotiations yielded first fruits. The terrorists got scared and released some of the passengers. Realizing that the negotiating group is not going to fulfill their demands and, most likely, there will be an assault on the plane, the deserters decided to commit suicide. To do this, they demanded strong drugs. The negotiating group agreed to deliver them.

Having accepted them, Yagmurji lost consciousness. The deserter Matsnev, having turned out to be an experienced drug addict, remained conscious. After that, he began to throw around the cabin with weapons, while allowing the rest of the passengers and flight attendants to leave the plane. The moment for the assault was perfect.

The Alpha group entered the plane. Matsnev opened fire on the KGB special forces, but was immediately killed. During the shootout, one of the bullets hit Yagmurdzhi and injured his leg, which was subsequently amputated. The whole operation took 8 seconds.

The military tribunal against deserters and conspirators was rightly ruthless. Soldiers who knew and participated in the conspiracy, but did not take part in it and did not report the intentions and actions of their former comrades, received prison sentences from 2 to 6 years. Surviving Sergei Yagmurdzhi was sentenced to capital punishment - execution. Alexander