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Jan 3 26 tweets 6 min read Read on X
1/ Russian air defence crews reportedly shot down Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 with two missiles fired from a Pantsir launcher near Grozny, after being 'blinded' by a Russian electronic warfare system, according to a detailed account of the incident on 25 December 2024. ⬇️ Image
2/ An account published by the VChK-OGPU Telegram channel, which has often published information that appears to have been leaked from sources in the Russian security forces, describes some of the preliminary findings of the official Russian criminal investigation.
3/ It reports that Grozny was guarded by the following air defence systems: two Pantsirs, an S-300 (recently delivered from Syria) and a Buk air defense system. One of the Pantsirs was installed in the Visaitovsky district north-west of Grozny. Image
4/ The Pantsir unit had only recently been installed there after the same area was targeted by Ukrainian long-range drones earlier in December. Its three-man crew – commander, operator and driver – were interrogated by the Russian Investigative Commmittee.
5/ According to VChK-OGPU, "their air defence system fired two missiles: at 08:13:30 and at 08:13:40. The missiles exploded at 8:13:50 and 8:14:30. The latter explosion hit the plane." Image
6/ "According to the [Pantsir commander], the orders to launch both missiles were given from Rostov, by a commander named Borisov.
7/ "When asked about the targets, the combat vehicle commander explained that such a powerful electronic warfare system was in operation that it “jammed” not only civilian but also military equipment. This also affected the operation of the air defense missile system.
8/ "For some reason, the plane was not displayed in “green” on the air defense missile system’s radar. He believed that he had an unspecified target.
9/ "A direct question was asked whether he understood that there was a civilian plane in the kill zone, since the aircraft was flying at an altitude that was not typical for drones and had different parameters from the UAV.
10/ "The commander did not give a clear answer, explaining that an order was given for each “launch,” but the plane was not displayed on the air defence missile system as a civilian aircraft. Like, how did he know whose plane it was?
11/ "The "new" timing confirms the version that the plane was hit by one of the missiles fired from the Pantsir. According to updated data, the impact on board occurred even earlier, not at 8:16, but at around 8:14.
12/ "Investigators came to this conclusion after carefully listening to the audio file of the conversations between the dispatcher and the plane's crew. Image
13/ "If this moment was marked as "inaudible" in the transcript (most likely on purpose, so that there was no time connection between the missile explosions and the "impact" on the plane), then in the audio you can hear: "a bird hit me."
14/ "Two minutes later, the crew repeated this more clearly.

According to new data, ground services record that the plane was 16 kilometers from the airport at 8:14, but still over the same Naursky District.
15/ "Returning to the testimony of the combat vehicle commander, it turned out that the SAM crews are not informed of the flight schedule of civilian aircraft at all.

In order to launch the missiles, the commander called Rostov twice via landline communications.
16/ At the same time, the crew allegedly could not visually observe the target due to fog, [according to] testimony given by the shift commander servicing the SAM.
17/ "But the commander of the second Pantsir, which is based at the airport, observed the civilian aircraft with his own eyes and did not fire at it.
18/ "This became known after listening to the background recording from the control room. The SAM commander informed the dispatcher by radio that he was observing an aircraft within sight.
19/ "Investigators asked the crew commander why he did not contact the commander of the other combat vehicle. And he replied that they had "problems" with landline communications. And the cellular communications did not work due to electronic warfare ...
20/ "Specialists have still not been able to establish the electronic warfare of which unit or organization carried out such a powerful “jammer” that nothing worked in the planes or in the air defence systems.
21/ "So far, no one has confessed to the EW, and the special equipment on site (border guards brought in a special vehicle) has not yielded any clues. The jammer's signal was recorded for another day after the tragedy, and then disappeared."
22/ VChK-OGPU reports that the Russian authorities are trying to concoct a more palatable version of events, that "the missiles from the Pantsir were fired at [a Ukrainian] drone, they missed the target and unsuccessfully self-destructed near the AZAL plane."
23/ In this version, the plane was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, rather than the Pantsir having fired at it by mistake. The Investigative Committee's head Alexander Bastrykin has reportedly given a priority order to find the remains of the supposed UAV.
24/ However, there seems to be no evidence of a drone existing. VChK-OGPU says, "the personnel of the Russian Guard have been combing an area of ​​about 40 square kilometers for a second day in search of parts of the drone. And they can’t find it." /end

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More from @ChrisO_wiki

Aug 28
1/ This needs unpacking a bit. Entry to the Schengen zone is recorded in the EU-wide Schengen Information System (SIS). Each Schengen country has a national SIS (N.SIS). They use it to identify persons of interest (such as wanted criminals or those with entry bans).
2/ Alerts include details like name, nationality, reason for the alert, and instructions for action (e.g., arrest, deny entry, or locate). They are uploaded to the central SIS database and instantly accessible to all member states.
3/ The alert type determines what action border control authorities take (e.g. detain or refuse entry). However, although they're binding in principle, this isn't always the case in practice. Each state can decide whether to enforce it based on their own laws or circumstances.
Read 7 tweets
Aug 28
1/ Internet shutdowns and blocks on Telegram continue to cripple the coordination of Russia's air defences. Mobile fire teams are reported to be secretly using insecure Chinese radios instead, and despite the name aren't allowed to be mobile. ⬇️
2/ As previously reported, local officials frequently shut down mobile Internet access during drone raids to prevent Ukrainian drones using them for navigation. The Russian government has also recently blocked calls on Telegram and WhatsApp.
3/ The Nerybar Telegram channel complains:

"Any initiative can be ruined by a thoughtless approach to its implementation. I remember when the UAV raids began, a multitude of warning methods proliferated, including even special applications."
Read 16 tweets
Aug 27
1/ Employees of Russia's space agency are reported to have gone without pay for over three months, causing severe hardship to many. It likely reflects the increasing financial difficulties of the Russian government, exacerbated by the demands of the war in Ukraine. ⬇️ Image
2/ JSC Sibpromproekt, formally the Siberian Institute for Design of Mechanical Engineering Enterprises, is a design institute of Roscosmos, the Russian State Corporation for Space Activities. The Zheleznogorsk-based company provides engineering and technical design services.
3/ According to the VChK-OGPU Telegram channel, Sibpromproekt employees have not been paid since 15 May. This includes vacation and severance pay as well as regular wages. The lack of pay has caused hardship to its employees who need money for mortgages, loan and subsistence.
Read 9 tweets
Aug 27
1/ The Danish public broadcaster DR is reporting that men with close links to Donald Trump have been 'infiltrating' Greenland in support of his goal of annexing the automous island. It is said to be part of a three-part strategy involving pressure, charm and infiltration. ⬇️ Image
2/ DR reports that at least three Americans linked personally to Trump have been seeking to find recruits for an annexationist movement, identifying supporters and opponents of Trump's plan to take over Greenland, and seeking to magnify Greenlandic grievances with Denmark.
3/ Danish or Greenlandic government sources say that the activity is intended "to penetrate Greenlandic society in order to weaken relations with Denmark from within and make the Greenlanders submit to the United States."
Read 9 tweets
Aug 25
1/ No previous US president has ever created criminal offences by executive order, as that's exclusively reserved to Congress. However, it *is* literally a hallmark of fascism, and it always starts with criminalising dissent. ⬇️
2/ After consolidating power in 1925–26, Mussolini issued 'decreti-legge' (decree-laws) through the Fascist Grand Council and his own authority as Duce (Leader), bypassing the Italian Parliament.
3/ The Special Laws for the Defence of the State (1926) established offences like "anti-national activities," which included criticising the regime, organising opposition, or spreading "defeatist" propaganda.
Read 6 tweets
Aug 25
1/ Russian soldiers face ever more draconian rules in occupied Ukraine, apparently imposed to crack down on desertions and misconduct by soldiers. Violations now effectively attract a death penalty. The soldiers, not surprisingly, aren't happy about this. ⬇️ Image
2/ The author of the 'Vault No. 8' Telegram channel writes:

"In general, so that you understand the depth of our depths. Our rear zones in the far rear have been declared "territory living by the rules of the permanent point of deployment."
3/ "With all that this entails – nothing is allowed, two checks a day, documents and army order above all.

Well, this is the news from the north of the Luhansk People's Republic in one line.
Read 13 tweets

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