What new did the survivors say?
At Vnukovo airport, a press briefing unfolded as journalist questions were directed toward the crew. Arkady Grachev, the pilot, clarified that the Falcon 10 involved in the Afghanistan crash did not carry the supposed million dollars that some local media claimed were stolen. He noted that the survivors did hand over some personal money to Afghans who reached the crash site to assist the victims.
Grachev emphasized that there isn’t a large sum of money at the scene. Personal funds were involved, reflecting a gesture of gratitude from those who helped. He added that some money was indeed given, highlighting the generosity observed among the Afghan helpers.
He described his own condition as capable of moving, while others sustained more severe injuries and were described as being dragged by local rescuers to safety.
The crash occurred in Badakhshan province on January 21. Two of the six people aboard died at the scene, leaving two passengers, two doctors, and two pilots in total. Grachev noted that the crew acted with competence, allowing the aircraft to “land on the top of the mountain” rather than crash outright. Co-pilot Dmitry Belyakov attributed the landing to a deliberate maneuver toward a sloping section of terrain by the pilots.
Witnesses described a grim scene: the crew saw the mountains through the windows, sensed danger, and prepared to respond. One of the surviving medical professionals recalled waking up amid the snow and starting to crawl toward safety. Nurse Igor Syvorotkin, who was on board, recounted his experience of pulling himself from the wreckage and moving toward help.
Among those who perished were a couple, both passengers. One set of injuries marked the woman as having injuries incompatible with life, and the man was discovered the following morning after his wife had been separated from the aircraft by the wreck. The paramedics summarized the tragic toll on the couple and described the brutal conditions that followed the crash.
The four survivors faced a bitter night in subfreezing temperatures, reportedly around minus 15 degrees Celsius. They sheltered themselves inside the wreckage and used whatever remained to keep warm, including forcing the burning of shoelaces. For hours, the rescuers searched the area, while the survivors endured the cold and the isolation of their improvised shelter.
Questions persisted about why the Falcon 10 could not be located sooner, especially given the known route. It later emerged that the search teams were looking at incorrect coordinates. Grachev had noted a nearby village before the fall, and Syvorotkin ventured out on the second day to seek help. When his efforts finally connected with locals, he found only a handful of people who spoke English and agreed to assist after a local contact with a satellite phone was established.
According to the paramedic, Afghan residents later arrived to aid the survivors and carry them from the high altitude. The group was transported down from four thousand meters of snow after a difficult five-hour trek to the nearest village.
Grachev refrained from answering the journalists’ question about the exact cause of the aircraft’s descent. He stated that the issue involved technical matters and that the commission would investigate. Investigators consider several possibilities for the crash, including a possible fuel disruption caused by ice, a potential dual engine failure, pilot error, or adverse weather conditions, such as strong winds that could have affected the ship’s stability.
One of the pilots, 41-year-old Dmitry Belyakov, suffered a heart attack after returning to Russia. Telegram channels reported an acute infarction of the anterior wall of the myocardium, and he was urgently admitted to hospital. Updates indicated that he underwent surgery and remained in critical condition as the investigation continued.
Who was on the plane and where does the version about the stolen million come from?
Initial reports described a private flight intended to evacuate the seriously ill wife of Anatoly Evsyukov, a businessman from Volgodonsk, from Thailand. The couple had been staying with a Russian woman who had developed a serious skin infection, a condition known as staphylococcal epidermolysis, which can be dangerous for adults under certain circumstances. Public commentary suggested that the woman’s immunity might have been affected by acclimatization and unfamiliar cuisine. She was hospitalized in Thailand, but the medical team could not stabilize her condition, leading to a sequence of complications including septic shock and multiorgan failure. She later required ventilation support.
According to Mash, the Russian patient was insured by Sberbank. Reports claimed that the husband engaged a carrier, Athletic Group LLC, to arrange the transport with a used aircraft. Witnesses indicated that the patient appeared unconscious, nearly in a coma, during the flight.
The roster aboard the plane included Evsyukov and his wife, two doctors, and two pilots. Observers noted unexpectedly high fuel usage and a request to land in Tajikistan for refueling, a plan that never came to fruition, with the aircraft a mere 57 kilometers from the intended destination. Both Evsyukov and his wife died in the crash. An Afghan newspaper cited unnamed sources alleging that $1.2 million had been stolen from the aircraft and that the first responders included associates of Taliban leadership. The province’s governor was said to have been informed and an investigation ordered, led by a local Taliban intelligence chief. These claims remain part of a broader, disputed narrative surrounding the incident.