Crime as a comedy, deceived “terrorists”, lucky “air taxi”… |

Airplane hijacking was not a rare event in the USSR. Although it was not usually written about in the press, and the majority of citizens from such events news they didn’t catch. When they watched similar events in other countries on TV, they said, “Good thing, we don’t have such things” and were thankful. However, the number of such attempts in the country increased year by year.

When searching on the Internet, the answers show that the first attempt to hijack a plane in the USSR took place on January 8, 1954. Over the next 16 years 10More than 10 attempts were made. But none of them were successful. The first successful attempt took place on October 15, 1970. Lithuanian resident Pranas Brazinskas and his minor son Algirdas forced the An-24 passenger plane flying from Batumi to Sukhumi to fly to Turkey. This time 20 elderly stewardess Nadezhda Kurchenko was killed by gunfire, crew members, including the captain, were wounded.

With amnesty for father and son who have been in prison for two years free they were done, but USAfrom political Attempts to obtain asylum failed. However, in 1976, they boarded a flight from Mexico to Canada, and during a layover in New York, they illegally USA they entered the territory. Then they got the right to live with the help of the Lithuanian diaspora.

He demanded the handover of the Brazinskas until the fall of the Soviet government and USA-i weather he condemned the double standard in relation to terrorism. This was one of the few cases where Moscow was not wrong. After the collapse of the USSR, the Brazinskas were forgotten for a while and 20Unexpectedly again in 02 newspaper they returned to the headlines: Algirdas killed his father by hitting him with a dumbbell and 16 years old imprisonment was sentenced to punishment.

In the USSR, information about major accidents, terrorist acts, and major crimes was usually hidden. Probably, the image was created that such negative situations exist only in “rotting capitalism”. But for some reason the Brazinskas case was treated differently, newspapers wrote, talked about on television, based on the event, a feature film called “Applicant Girl” and a documentary called “Lies and Hatred” were made.

Whatever the reason for the Soviet government’s behavior, this is not the subject of our article. It’s another incident that happened just 12 days after the Brazinskas hijacked the plane, with a fortunately bloodless and even comical outcome.

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Vitaly Pozdeyev, a 21-year-old student of the Sevastopol device-making institute and the Crimean medical institute 20 His senior student Nikolay Gilev were relatives and cousins. Moreover, they did not belong to the poor class. At that time, they had a tape recorder, which most Soviet youth longed for, and a motorcycle, which most of them did not even think about. But they were not satisfied with their lives and wanted to escape to the West.

It was not easy to go abroad in the USSR. It was necessary to obtain permission to leave the country. The cousins ​​also decide to hijack a plane after several failed attempts at permission. But they are great passengers plane not hijacking a light aircraft of the “Let L-200 Morava” brand and flying to Turkey, here too political they were thinking of applying to the US embassy for asylum.

The USSR bought 181 of the Czechoslovak-made “Morava” aircraft. Designed for one pilot and four passengers, these twin-engine airplanes “weather performed the function of “taxi”. Little gasoline “Morava”, which operated and did not require large runways, was very convenient to use, and the ticket price was also cheap. The aircraft, which was very suitable for passengers without heavy cargo, could fly more than 1700 km, despite its modest performance.

Once on board, the cousins ​​intended to take control. Therefore, Nikolay Gilev goes to pilot courses at the Society of Voluntary Aid to the Army, Aviation, Navy (OADKYC) and acquires the necessary skills. In addition, Nikolay, who has flown Kerch-Krasnodar several times and in the opposite direction, pays attention to the pilot’s movements and navigation devices.

In mid-October 1970, they hear of the Brazinskas’ hijacking. Relatives understand that this incident may cause the Soviet government to take additional security measures. Therefore, they hurry to implement their plans and choose October 27 for this.

They buy four out of four tickets for “Morava” flying from Kerch to Krasnodar because they don’t want any other passengers on the plane. But not everything is as they want. Seeing that only two people had checked in shortly before the departure time, the airport staff sold one of the tickets. Thus, another man appears on the plane. But this does not dissuade Pozdeyev and Gilevi from their opinion.

The third passenger sits in the front next to the pilot, and the cousins ​​sit in the back seat. Shortly after the plane took off, they threatened the passenger with a knife and handcuffed him, and pilot Alexey Minchenko was forced to change his seat by putting a bag over his head, and Gilev got behind the wheel.

But he flew over the Black Sea Turkey until it reaches its shores weather it gets dark and there are doubts that he can land the plane in Gilev. The pilot is behind the wheel again, and he lands “Morava” at the US airbase near Sinop. This time gasoline one of the engines stops due to exhaustion.

The plane, the pilot and the third passenger returned to the USSR after 15 days, while Qilev and Pozdeyev remained in Turkey. The most interesting and surprising events that make this plane hijacking stand out from the rest happened after that.

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At first, the Turks thought that the cousins ​​might be Soviet spies and questioned them. After believing that this was not the case, they handed them over to the Americans. Americans and young people of the USSR military secrets, located in the Crimea military they asked questions about parts, secret objects. It turned out that young people are in this direction information do not have a carrier. As a result, interest in them decreased.

Despite Moscow’s demands, Turkey He gave shelter to Qilev and Pozdeyev, and they were placed in a barrack intended for refugees in Istanbul. But the cousins’ goal was not to live in Turkey, but in America. US Embassy and he was in no hurry to give them visas. The young people were disappointed that they were not greeted with the ceremony they expected. of course Turkey and the Western press wrote about them for a few days, but then they forgot. Qilev and Pozdeyev hoped for a completely different relationship.

After some time, the cousins ​​start receiving letters from their families. In that letter, they were told that if they returned the work, their sins would be forgiven. Probably, their families were convinced by representatives of the Soviet authorities. The young people’s response letters also express regret for their actions.

Vitaly Pozdeyev writes: “Only here I understood what it means to be without a homeland and relatives. When I lived at home, I didn’t see the good things around me.”. After that, the Soviet representatives met with him and said that they would not be held responsible, and would even be reinstated to the institute. The cousins ​​also believed and decided to return to their country.

Now the representatives of Turkey are meeting with them, urging them not to believe the promises made, definitely imprisonment they say they will. Even the Americans promise that visas will be issued in the near future. But Pozdeyev and Gilev’s decision to return was already final. On December 20, 1971, they crossed the Sarp border crossing near Batumi. They welcomed them with real Georgian hospitality and organized a feast. The cousins ​​who were taken to Moscow by plane in the morning are here imprisonment they were done.

Their trial began in September 1972. Pozdeyev, who was upset by Gilev’s plane hijackings and deceptions, said that he regretted their return. Court also took these ideas into account: Nikolay Gilev 10 year, and Vitaly Pozdeyev were deprived of 12 years of freedom. They served their punishment until the last day.

A reasonably cleverly conceived and skilfully executed escape ended in such a senseless ending. But no, the event had another ending. The Let L-200 Morava aircraft, which were suitable for hijacking, were withdrawn from service for several years. The convenient and affordable “air taxi” service has come to an end.