Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 — aircraft shot down by the Ukrainian military on 4 October 2001
A Ukrainian military missile accidentally destroyed a civilian airliner over the Black Sea, killing all 78 people aboard during a joint air-defence exercise.
Key Facts
- Date of incident
- 4 October 2001
- Total aboard
- 78 (66 passengers, 12 crew)
- Survivors
- None
- Aircraft type
- Tupolev Tu-154
- Missile responsible
- S-200 surface-to-air missile
- Compensation paid
- $15 million ($200,000 per victim)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Ukrainian and Russian armed forces were conducting joint air-defence exercises at the 31st Russian Black Sea Fleet Research Center on Cape Opuk near Kerch, Crimea. During the exercises, a Ukrainian S-200 surface-to-air missile was fired and went off course, striking a civilian aircraft in flight over the Black Sea.
On 4 October 2001, Siberia Airlines Flight 1812, a Tupolev Tu-154 en route from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk, was struck by an errant Ukrainian military missile approximately 190 km west-southwest of Sochi. All 78 people on board were killed, with no survivors recovered.
Ukraine initially denied responsibility but eventually admitted its forces had likely caused the crash. The Ukrainian government paid $15 million in compensation to the families of victims, at $200,000 per person. The incident strained diplomatic relations and raised serious concerns about the conduct of military exercises near civilian air corridors.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent