“Infiltrating it in order to plant an explosive device on a plane does not appear possible. For its part, the airport in Sochi is a dual-purpose one and has increased security,” Interfax quoted the source as saying. “Outsider infiltration by or a staff member bringing unauthorized items is ruled out.”
The crash shook Russia less than a week after its ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was fatally shot in public by a man shouting slogans about the war in Syria, an assassination captured live on video. Since then, Moscow and Ankara have made a show of their willingness to work together and, along with Iran, bring a settlement to the Syrian conflict. On Sunday, Putin received condolences from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Konashenkov said the jet, a Tupolev Tu-154 passenger liner built in 1983, last underwent repairs in December 2014 and had since been fully serviced. The remains of the passengers would be brought to Moscow for identification.
