Hey all,
Just read of @flightradar24s twitter feed that armed men in military uniform has stormed Simferopol airport with an inbound AtlasJet flight turning back to IST. An Aeroflot flight took off safely after the incident and an S7 Airlines plane is still headed there as I write seemingly unperturbed.
What do ya all think?
Moderators: jsumali2, richierich, ua900, PanAm_DC10, hOMSaR
RE: Simferopol Airport Taken Over By Armed Men
Putin stirring in others backyards probably, nice guy this Putin..
Who is in control of the ATC?! Some armed farmer?
Who is in control of the ATC?! Some armed farmer?
RE: Simferopol Airport Taken Over By Armed Men
"A group of armed men in military uniform without signs of identification seized Simferopol Airport in Crimea in the early hours of Friday.
"About 50 people were armed and in the same gear as those who seized the buildings of the Crimean parliament and government on Thursday morning, eyewitnesses told an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent."
https://www.google.com.au/webhp?rls=com.microsoft:en-AU:IE-Address&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7WZPK_enAU547&gfe_rd=cr&ei=EX0QU-ioNsyN8QfFjIGgBg
Looks more like a terrorist raid rather than a 'seizure.' My guess is that you'd need at least a battalion (600-plus men) to capture and hold a complete airport. Chances are the police will handle it.
"About 50 people were armed and in the same gear as those who seized the buildings of the Crimean parliament and government on Thursday morning, eyewitnesses told an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent."
https://www.google.com.au/webhp?rls=com.microsoft:en-AU:IE-Address&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7WZPK_enAU547&gfe_rd=cr&ei=EX0QU-ioNsyN8QfFjIGgBg
Looks more like a terrorist raid rather than a 'seizure.' My guess is that you'd need at least a battalion (600-plus men) to capture and hold a complete airport. Chances are the police will handle it.
"Once you have flown, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards.." - Leonardo da Vinci
-
- bennett123
- Posts: 10716
- Joined:
RE: Simferopol Airport Taken Over By Armed Men
www.airport.crimea.ua
Apart from the Atlasjet flight, things seem to be operating "normally".
Depends on the loyalties of the local Police.
Apart from the Atlasjet flight, things seem to be operating "normally".
Depends on the loyalties of the local Police.
-
- peterinlisbon
- Posts: 1887
- Joined:
RE: Simferopol Airport Taken Over By Armed Men
Most likely they are soldiers of the Russian army from the Navy base. Apparently they have removed all badges from their uniform and are forbidden from speaking to anyone in order not to reveal their real identities (they probaby have Russian accents and are from different parts of Russia). They even took the license plates off their vehicles. I think the new Ukranian president is on the right track though - if they try to fight them that will just give Russia an excuse to invade and occupy large parts of the country. Rather than taking the bait, it's best to deal with the situation through the UN. For the moment they don't seem to be interfering with flight operations, but they represent a security risk for Ukranians, especially any politicians or military / police that want to travel to the region. These people won't be able to hide their real identities for long anyway and soon we'll know for sure who they are.
RE: Simferopol Airport Taken Over By Armed Men
interesting how in one source they came to the airport to look for Ukrainian paratroopers on the tarmac?
There Are Those Who Believe That There May Yet Be Other Airlines Who Even Now Fight To Survive Beyond The Heavens
-
- bennett123
- Posts: 10716
- Joined:
RE: Simferopol Airport Taken Over By Armed Men
The TK flight from Istanbul and back is now cancelled, as are Yanair and UIA flights from Kiev.
Can't give more info as airport website has stopped working.
Can't give more info as airport website has stopped working.
RE: Simferopol Airport Taken Over By Armed Men
| Quoting bennett123 (Reply 6): The TK flight from Istanbul and back is now cancelled, as are Yanair and UIA flights from Kiev. Can't give more info as airport website has stopped working. |
The airlines are rightly concerned that they may be flying into a worsening situation that could lead to firefights. And no airline wold want their passengers or equipment flying into that.
Tugg
I don’t know that I am unafraid to be myself, but it is hard to be somebody else. - W. Shatner
There are many kinds of sentences that we think state facts about the world but that are really just expressions of our attitudes. - F. Ramsey
There are many kinds of sentences that we think state facts about the world but that are really just expressions of our attitudes. - F. Ramsey
RE: Simferopol Airport Taken Over By Armed Men
The best way to infiltrate quietly a territory is by air. You get an airport, you fly in, voila. Who need paratroops when a modern airport is yours? AFAIK the only plane that didn't turned back is a S7 aircraft from Russia.
This is geopolitic in real time. Russia's Black Sea fleet is essential to their projection of power in Europe and Middle-East. They wont let the future of that base be jeopardized by the new Ukrainian govt. Crimea has changed handed constantly over the centuries and it might just do so again soon. 58% of citizens in Crimea are ethnic Russians...
Interesting times.
This is geopolitic in real time. Russia's Black Sea fleet is essential to their projection of power in Europe and Middle-East. They wont let the future of that base be jeopardized by the new Ukrainian govt. Crimea has changed handed constantly over the centuries and it might just do so again soon. 58% of citizens in Crimea are ethnic Russians...
Interesting times.
RE: Simferopol Airport Taken Over By Armed Men
This is taken from the WSJ, probably from one of the wire services:
*Ukraine Airport Official: Crimean Airspace Closed for Passenger Planes – RIA
*Ukraine Airport Official: Crimean Airspace Closed Until 6:30 p.m. on March 1 – RIA
*Ukraine Airport Official: Closure Could Be Extended – RIA
*Ukraine Airport Official: Crimean Airspace Closed for Passenger Planes – RIA
*Ukraine Airport Official: Crimean Airspace Closed Until 6:30 p.m. on March 1 – RIA
*Ukraine Airport Official: Closure Could Be Extended – RIA
Flown 2018: LAX, ARN, DXB, ALA, TAS, UCG, ASB, MYP, GYD, TBS, KUT, BER, TLS, SVO, CCF, DUB, LGW, MEX, BUR, PDX, ORD, SLC, SNA
Upcoming 2018: STL, MIA, BZE, IAH, BHM, LHR, DFW, PHX
Upcoming 2018: STL, MIA, BZE, IAH, BHM, LHR, DFW, PHX
RE: Simferopol Airport Taken Over By Armed Men
| Quoting Dash9 (Reply 8): 58% of citizens in Crimea are ethnic Russians... |
After the ethnic cleansing and mass forced deportations of the Tartars of Crimea during USSR, sure, what you are left are Russians who were shipped in to take their place. But let's not pretend that the region was ethnically Russian for long...
-
- aviatorcraig
- Posts: 573
- Joined:
RE: Simferopol Airport Taken Over By Armed Men
This is currently showing on the English version of Simferopol Airport website:
---
Airspace in the vicinity of the international airport “Simferopol” closed 01.03.2014
Due to limitations in the use of airspace over the Autonomous Republic of Crimea airport “Simferopol” temporarily not accept flights
---
Interesting, when did it become the "Autonomous Republic of Crimea"?
---
Airspace in the vicinity of the international airport “Simferopol” closed 01.03.2014
Due to limitations in the use of airspace over the Autonomous Republic of Crimea airport “Simferopol” temporarily not accept flights
---
Interesting, when did it become the "Autonomous Republic of Crimea"?
707 727 Caravelle Comet Concorde Dash-7 DC-9 DC-10 One-Eleven Trident Tristar Tu-134 VC-10 Viscount plus boring stuff!
RE: Simferopol Airport Taken Over By Armed Men
| Quoting aviatorcraig (Reply 11): Interesting, when did it become the "Autonomous Republic of Crimea"? |
"On 14 October 1993, the Crimean parliament established the post of President of Crimea and agreed on a quota of Crimean Tatars represented in the Council of 14. However, political turmoil continued. Amendments[clarification needed] to the constitution eased the conflict,[citation needed] but on 17 March 1995, the parliament of Ukraine intervened, scrapping the Crimean Constitution and removing Yuriy Meshkov (the President of Crimea) along with his office for his actions against the state and promoting integration with Russia.[29] After an interim constitution, the current constitution was put into effect, changing the territory's name to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimea#In_independent_Ukraine
seems like since 1995!
RE: Simferopol Airport Taken Over By Armed Men
| Quoting aryonoco (Reply 10): After the ethnic cleansing and mass forced deportations of the Tartars of Crimea during USSR, sure, what you are left are Russians who were shipped in to take their place. But let's not pretend that the region was ethnically Russian for long... |
I am in no way justifying Russia's action, past or present. I'm just giving my opinion on what is happening right now and why. IMO there is no way Russia will ever accept to loose its Black Sea port. This will be solved either through diplomatic or military action, and I surely hope the former.
-
- skywaymanaz
- Posts: 719
- Joined:
RE: Simferopol Airport Taken Over By Armed Men
| Quoting aviatorcraig (Reply 11): when did it become the "Autonomous Republic of Crimea"? |
I think it's been that way for a while after the breakup of the Soviet Union to placate the large Russian population there by giving them a high degree of autonomy. Khrushchev giving the Crimea to the Ukraine was seen as a symbolic transfer since they were all in the same country. Making it official after the breakup has never sat well with many in the Crimea and Russia. Them having autonomy probably made them happy enough they begrudginly accepted Ukrainian rule. Putin has very cleverly seized control in a bloodless coup there. It is going to be very difficult to get his forces out when a lot of the population is probably glad to see them there. Unfortunately for the Ukraine there are a lot of Russians elsewhere in the country that could make accepting transferring the Crimea back to Russia a bad precedent.
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: 747cllipper747, adamh8297, AirbusA343, airlinepeanuts, alto87, av8tiongeek, avi8, aviationMCO8, bahmed22, Baidu [Spider], Baruch, bigb, BMcD, Boiler905, Buddys747, Candid76, chiad, CVGspottekass, DLASFlyer, eightcone, EWRamp, Exyxy, FLYiTail, FLYKTPA, fraT, freakyrat, frmrCapCadet, HII, hummingbird, iflykpdx, ikolkyo, jameijeirasc, JerseyFlyer, JoseSalazar, kiowa, kordcj, leader1, LeftcoastB6, lhwj, Midwestindy, Moose135, nikeherc, NZ321, Opus99, PANAMsterdam, pezzy669, PSU.DTW.SCE, Rifitto, RJNUT, samzkvh, shadez, skytony, Sooner787, SunsetLimited, tmu101, Tristar787, trueblew, TWAGuy, United857, Virtual737, WA707atMSP, Zbogart757 and 276 guests