Video: A Minsk–Moscow flight may have been targeted by Russian air defense systems

A video has been circulating on social media in which, according to the authors of the posts, Russian air defenses are active near a passenger plane flying from Minsk to Moscow.

 

The footage shows a bright flash outside the plane’s window. The authors of the posts claim that the footage shows Russian air defense systems in action during the flight to Moscow. However, it is impossible to reliably determine from the video the location where it was filmed, the time of the incident, or the circumstances under which the passengers saw the flash.

Reports of a possible threat to the passenger aircraft were circulated on October 25. The posts refer to a plane operated by the Belarusian airline “Belavia,” but the flight number and aircraft registration number have not been identified. There is also no confirmed information regarding damage to the aircraft, a change in route, or an unscheduled landing.

Belavia’s schedule for October 25 included several flights from Minsk to Moscow airports:

• B2 981 – to Vnukovo;
• B2 975 – to Sheremetyevo;
• B2 957 – to Domodedovo;
• B2 977 – to Sheremetyevo.

Based on the available information, it was not possible to determine which specific aircraft might have appeared in the video. The mere fact that these flights were listed in the schedule does not confirm that one of them was near Russian air defense systems.

No official reports of a passenger plane being fired upon or damaged have been released. 

The release of the video coincided with disruptions at Russian airports due to the threat of drone attacks. On October 23, all four airports in the Moscow air hub—Vnukovo, Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, and Zhukovsky—temporarily suspended the arrival and departure of flights.

Rosaviatsiya explained the restrictions as necessary to ensure flight safety. An air raid alert was declared at Sheremetyevo following reports of debris from a downed drone falling near the terminal. Due to the disruptions, flights were delayed and canceled, and some planes were rerouted to alternate airports.

Restrictions at the airports may complicate flights to Moscow, but there is no confirmation that they were the direct cause of the situation captured on video. Similarly, it has not yet been determined whether air defense systems were operating directly along the passenger plane’s flight path. 

Earlier, Russia restricted flights at all airports in the Moscow metropolitan area.

Prior to that, all four Moscow airports had also suspended flight operations due to a drone attack.

Prior to that, it was reported that a massive drone attack had disrupted operations at Moscow’s airports.