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KGB EXPERT COMMENTS ON AIR CRASHES

MOSCOW, August 26 (RIA Novosti) -- On Tuesday night, two airliners, Tu-134 and Tu-154, crashed in Russia, claiming 93 lives, according to some sources. The aircraft exploded in mid- air at almost the same time.

Vladimir Mikhailov, first chief of the explosive and technical department of the Soviet KGB, told Kommersant that he "would not jump any conclusions that there were no signs of terrorism."

Back in 1979, Mr Mikhailov continues, after a series of aircraft disasters, a plane was blown up on the ground on the instructions of the KGB leadership. To establish the real reasons of an air crash, all the parts of the aircraft should be collected and put together in a hangar, and then analytical chemists should study every detail. This process can take months, so any statements before an examination is completed cannot be substantiated.

According to Mr Mikhailov, 200 grams of explosive are enough to blow up a plane, if you know how and where to put them. And it is not easy to find where the explosion occurred in a matter of several hours.

As an expert, Mikhailov is worried about a few episodes linked to the recent air crashes. Firstly, they were preceded by an explosion at a bus stop (aimed to distract attention, according to some versions). Secondly, the air crashes occurred almost on the hour. "As far as I know, both crashes happened at about three minutes or five minutes to eleven. This usually happens when timers are used." Thirdly, both aircraft flew out of the same airport, and both were domestic flights, where security is much worse. And both were bound for the south where the situation is not very calm.