They escaped from one prison to sit down to another

August 19, 1990 a group of Soviet prisoners, which was transported by air, disarmed the guards using smuggled in advance on board ship and seized weapons. In the hands of hijackers turned out more than 40 passengers and crew members. Threatening to blow up the bomb, the prisoners demanded to take them to Pakistan, where they hoped to avoid prosecution for their crimes. But there they were waiting for a very different fate.

The Tu-154 of "Aeroflot" had to make a scheduled flight on the route Neryungri - Yakutsk. Distances in Yakutia huge road network is available, but the easiest way to carry out communication between the cities using air transport. From Neryungri (the second largest city in the region) to Yakutia more than 800 kilometers of the capital. So the easiest way to get there - get on a plane.

Airport Neryungri, Republic of Sakha capital

It is for this reason that in Yakutia there was quite unusual for the Soviet-era practice - to transport arrested together with ordinary passengers scheduled flights. Although formally they are always accompanied by guards, often it happened that the prisoners were much more than the guards.

So it was August 19, 1990. From Neryungri was heading a group of 15 people who were in the city a temporary detention facility on suspicion of committing serious crimes. In the group were as truly dangerous criminals such as the defendants in murder, robbery, racketeering, causing grievous bodily harm, habitual criminals and petty thieves and hijackers transport.

Accompany this group had only three escorts. Moreover, for some reason, at all did not have handcuffs (found in all three instances), and almost all the dangerous passengers traveling without handcuffs. Probably, the ministry decided that they still will not disappear from the plane.

On board

Photo: © flickr.com/Comrade Anatolii

On the morning of the seven crew members, 36 passengers and 15 transportation detainees are criminals boarded a Tu-154 plane at the airport in Neryungri. Airliner safely took off and began to climb. A few minutes after take-off received an alarm signal from a flight attendant is located in the cabin. A minute later she came into the cockpit and handed them a note, which indicated that the plane was hijacked. The terrorists threatened to blow up the aircraft if the aircraft commander will not obey their orders.

It turned out that a few minutes after takeoff, one of the leaders of the bandits surname Isakov (former athlete, accused of racketeering) took a sawn-off shotgun and pointed it at the woman with the child, threatening to shoot them if the guards will not give up weapons. Another leader of the perpetrators by name Evdokimov (who had three previous convictions behind him) took some bag with wires sticking out of it and said that it was a bomb and the plane will be blown up if their demands are not fulfilled.

As it turned out, the bombs criminals still not there, they gave her a big piece of soap. And here was a real edge. One of the criminals bribed an employee of the detention center, and that shortly before escorting gave him the edge.

Bandits have thought through the situation well. The policemen, although they were armed, did not dare to start a gunfight in the cabin. In the first place, was too great a risk to hurt ordinary passengers, and secondly, there was a risk to damage the plane, thirdly, the terrorists threatened to detonate a bomb in case of fire. Guards laid down their arms and joined the rest of the hostages.

The crew of Flight 4076 Neryungri - Yakutsk, 1990. Photo: © news.ykt.ru

Meanwhile Isakov went to the cockpit and demanded to return the aircraft to Neryungri. The bandits wanted to take with him two associates from the local detention center. On the ground, they have been waiting for a group of capture. However, the local authorities did not dare to act. Aircraft delayed release. The liner was refueled. In addition, we have been satisfied and other requirements of bandits. They passed two machines, two pistols, three radio and several bulletproof vests. They also wanted to get a parachute, but then they were persuaded that they are not needed. If you try to jump with a parachute at full speed out of the airplane, they would be instantly turned into bloody mince.

In exchange for his two accomplices of the IVS, guns and walkie-talkies, they released the women and children on board. Four more (according to other sources - six) prisoners refused to participate in the terrorist epic and voluntarily left the plane. They were mostly people who are not accused of the most serious crimes. They threatened to suspended sentences or prison sentences are very small, and they preferred not to risk it and not participate in the air piracy, which automatically increases their life for 15 years.

Flight Natalia Filipenko and flight engineer Alexei Kamoshin. Photo: © news.ykt.ru

The last attempt to influence the bandits "in an amicable way" was made when the police brought in parents Airport one of the leaders of the bandits - Isakov. However, their attempts to appeal to his son failed.

The plane with the remaining hostages went to Novosibirsk. But on the road bandits changed their mind: fear of traps, they told the pilot to change course. Now, the plane flew to Krasnoyarsk. There, the plane was refueled, and then moved to Tashkent.

It was the final point of the Soviet. Obviously, the invaders were going to fly abroad. But where exactly we do not even know themselves. Apparently, the hijacking plan they had, but the further action plan was no longer there. In Tashkent, again an option for the storming of the captured aircraft, but again, it was decided to abandon it. Hostage along with the crew and the bandits camped in Tashkent. The crew were released to spend the night outside the aircraft, the passengers and the bandits were inside.

Pakistan

About half past seven in the morning on August 20th the plane flew from Tashkent. Apparently, that's when the invaders came up with a strange idea to send a plane to Pakistan. It's hard to say what motivates them to do so. Soviet security forces through the pilot vessel tried to convince criminals to go to India. But they suspected that something was wrong and requested landing in Pakistan. Either way, the bandits made a very bad choice, because of hijacking the death penalty threatened in this country.

As soon as the aircraft entered the airspace of Pakistan, flew to him two interceptor fighter. Crew with great difficulty managed to persuade the interceptors that they are civilian ship, captured by terrorists.

The bandits demanded to land the plane in Karachi. However, on the approach to the aerodrome controller forbidden land. More than an hour a Soviet airliner circled over Pakistani airfield, until he was running out of fuel. Only after that the pilots were able to convince managers to give them permission and went to the gate.

The crew left the plane to Neryungri airport. Photo: © news.ykt.ru

From the air prison in hell on earth

At the airport hijacked airliner met officials. The reception was cordial. Everyone was smiling, shook hands and hugged. Terrorists separated from the hostages and very politely escorted to the airport. On the way, even made a group picture of all invaders. Probably, they even thought we made the right choice, having arrived in Pakistan, and now live here at your pleasure.

But as soon as the Pakistanis have made sure that all air terrorists in their hands, and those with him are no more weapons, they locked them in a local police station. All prisoners immediately put shackles that they are no longer removed until the liberation. They also announced that they are accused of hijacking and terrorism in the air, according to the laws of Pakistan is punishable by death. That same evening, a Soviet aircraft with the passengers hostage-back in the USSR. They spent a prisoner of the bandits more than a day.

Pakistani authorities arrested the hijackers. Photo: © wikipedia.org

But for the Soviet hijackers just beginning. Initially, they were sentenced to death, but later, as the aliens decided to take pity and replace the punishment of life imprisonment. And then completely dropped up to 20-plus years, which gave a chance to release.

But before that, still had to live. Unlucky terrorists themselves punished themselves as they could not be punished in the USSR. Of course, Soviet prisons were far from ideal, but compared to Pakistan it was almost a nursing home. At first, even the criminals were afraid that they will be given to the USSR. But after a few months, they wanted it more than anything else.

Soviet hijackers placed in several different prisons in the south of the country, where there were the most severe climatic conditions. In some periods, the air temperature in stuffy prison cells increased to 55-60 degrees. Water was very small. The food was poor, with no help from the outside was not, unlike the Soviet Union, where the prisoners could receive parcels from relatives. Shackles were not removed during the entire sentence.

Morals in local prisons were quite simple: if the guards do not like something, they just beat the prisoners with sticks. Since none of the Soviet prisoners of the local language did not know and could not even ask for water, attention to itself had to involve screaming and knocking on the door that led to the portion of the sticks. However, these harsh measures have forced education of all prisoners as soon as possible to master the local language - Urdu. Not surprisingly, after a few months in Pakistani jails two fugitives from the Soviet justice took his own life, and the third did not die from the heat stroke, not a heart attack. And the rest of the letters began to bombard the Soviet authorities. Say, all understand and repent, return home, we want to sit there.

Even before the collapse of the country's Soviet representatives appealed to Pakistan to extradite criminals to their homeland. But relations between the USSR and Pakistan at that time were not the best because of the recent Afghan war, so the Pakistani side flatly refused.

In 1992 he made an attempt to extradition and the new Russian authorities, but also to no avail. And then whirled such political and economic processes in the country, about the Soviet hijackers simply forgotten.

Homecoming

However, to serve until the end of the Soviet pirates did not have to. However, their fate was influenced by the random factor, and not the numerous petitions and appeals. In 1998, Pakistan was celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of its independence. On this occasion, the general amnesty, under which were all the foreigners who were in Pakistani jails was declared.

After eight years in prison Soviet aircraft hijackers were released. At this point, their ranks thinned. Three of them did not survive until the liberation. Another thoroughly undermined health in difficult circumstances local prisons and suffered a heart attack. In addition, the fugitives had nowhere to go, they did not even have money to return home.

Six of them were lucky, they were taken to Russia. There they faced a new term, but even that was sheer trifle compared to the Pakistani prisons. Two natives of Ukraine and stayed in Pakistan, as their new homeland did not want to return them, or did not find the money. Their fate is unknown. As for Russian gangsters, they were taken under escort to the Russian Federation. There they were again brought before the court. Originally it was planned that they will be convicted of hijacking. For this crime under Russian law they could receive up to 15 years in prison.

However, later it was decided not to judge the criminals twice for the same crime. Russian law enforcers have considered that the time spent in Pakistani jails, they should serve as a sufficient punishment. But their previous crimes, the responsibility for which they wish to avoid the hijacking, has not been canceled. Therefore, all returnees have been convicted under the old cases and received sentences, depending on the severity of the crime.