And yet, there are many factors indicating that the twin crashes were terrorist acts. Both planes took off from the same airport, and they crashed within 3 minutes of each other. Hijack alarm was sounded on the aircraft shortly before they went down. Residents at the Vladimirovka village in the Tula region, where the Tu-134 plane crashed, heard a loud explosion followed by the roaring sound of the falling airliner and several explosions after the plane hit the ground. The wreckage of the Tu-134 was strewn over a vast area, which is also a sign of an on-board explosion. The two aircraft were in a good condition, and the pilots were highly trained professionals.

According to the Press Service of the Domodedovo airport in Moscow, from which the planes took off, the airliners passed regular before-flight checks in full accordance with Russian aviation standards.

The two airliners crashed on Tuesday evening after taking off from the Domodedovo airport in Moscow. Contact with them was lost within 3 minutes of each other – at 22:56 Moscow time and 22:59 Moscow time. The wreckage of the Tu-134 plane, which was en route from Moscow to Volgograd, was found near the Buchalka village in the Tula region. It was carrying 35 passengers and 9 crew members. The wreckage of the second plane – a Tu-154, which was flying from Moscow to Sochi, - was found in the Rostov region. There were 38 passengers and 8 crew members on board.