{"id":1620,"date":"2020-12-09T12:40:03","date_gmt":"2020-12-09T12:40:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiofree.org\/?p=136029"},"modified":"2020-12-09T12:40:03","modified_gmt":"2020-12-09T12:40:03","slug":"russia-opens-criminal-case-into-doomsday-plane-theft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2020\/12\/09\/russia-opens-criminal-case-into-doomsday-plane-theft\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia Opens Criminal Case Into ‘Doomsday’ Plane Theft"},"content":{"rendered":"
Russian authorities say they have opened a criminal case into the theft of equipment from a military aircraft dubbed the “doomsday plane” that was designed to shield top officials from the effects of a nuclear explosion.<\/p>\n
The Rostov regional branch of Russia\u2019s Interior Ministry said in a statement on December 9 that more than 1 million rubles ($13,600) worth of equipment was stolen from the Ilyushin Il-80 plane at the Taganrog airfield, raising questions about the safety of Russia’s strategic military equipment.<\/p>\n
Speaking to journalists, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the breach as an “emergency situation” and vowed that “measures will be taken to prevent this from happening again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russian media earlier reported that thieves broke into the aircraft, described as among Russia’s most-classified military planes, and stole electronic equipment, including radio boards.<\/p>\n
Military experts say the plane is one of four Il-80s designed to be used as airborne command posts for the Russian president and other top officials in the event of a nuclear conflict.<\/p>\n
Officials from the Taganrog Aviation Scientific and Technical Complex reported the theft to local police on December 4, according to Interfax.<\/p>\n
The Interior Ministry North Caucasus directorate reported on December 7 that the state-controlled Beriev Aircraft Company, which was carrying out maintenance of the Il-80 plane, had informed police that a cargo hatch breach had been discovered during an inspection of the aircraft, according to TASS.<\/p>\n
Broadcaster Ren-TV, which first reported the break-in, said all equipment was intact at the last inspection on November 26.<\/p>\n
The Il-80 had reportedly been undergoing repairs since the beginning of 2019.<\/p>\n
The plane, based on the Ilyushin Il-86 jetliner, has been in use since the mid-1980. It is designed to have some protection from the effects of a nuclear blast.<\/p>\n
The United States also operates a fleet of airborne command posts called E-4B Nightwatch.<\/p>\n