Airplane tragedy – Scholz: Russia could be behind the crash

Investigators have now recovered the flight recorders. In addition to the flight data recorder, the voice recorder was also found, the Justice Department said. Both aircraft were recovered from the wreckage around noon and will now be examined.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has called for excessive speculation about the cause of the crash of a cargo plane in Vilnius. The suspicion of a possible act of sabotage should not be overemphasized, but neither should it be downplayed. At the same time, such a version cannot be ruled out, Nauseda said this morning on Lithuanian radio.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) said in the ZDF’s ‘heute magazine’ when asked whether Russia was behind the crash: “We are looking at it closely, we cannot say that at the moment.” He added: “It could be that way.” Forms of so-called hybrid warfare can also currently be seen in Germany. “Therefore, it must be carefully investigated.” However, a perpetrator is only named if this can be clearly proven.

Interview with surviving crew members

Four people were on board the plane, which hit the ground and crashed for unknown reasons near the airport in a residential area. One of the crew members died in the crash on Monday morning, three others – including a German – are receiving medical treatment in hospital. According to media reports, the condition of at least one crew member is said to be serious.

Investigators now hope survivors will come forward with information about what caused the crash. According to police chief Arunas Paulauskas, one of the injured has already been spoken to in the hospital. Accordingly, there were no signs of unusual activity on board or in the aircraft, he said on Lithuanian television that evening. It appears as if the flight was a routine flight and a subsequent collision with the ground occurred.

Search for flight recorders and help from German investigators
The search for the flight recorder, which according to Paulauskas has not yet been recovered and which is believed to be in the remains of the completely destroyed machine, also continues. The so-called black box can help clarify the cause of the accident. The plane crashed a few kilometers from the airport. The inspection of the airport’s approach systems by Polish air traffic control, which was carried out after the crash as part of a previously planned routine inspection, could also provide further information.

According to Lithuanian information, experts from abroad will also participate in the study. Four investigators from Germany and two from Spain are expected to arrive in Lithuania, and 12 people from the US are also expected to support the search for the cause of the accident – including five from aircraft manufacturer Boeing. According to Swift Air, the aircraft involved in the accident was a Boeing 737-400. Authorities said debris slid several hundred meters after the crash and damaged a residential building. No one was injured.

Baerbock demands full clarification
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called for a full investigation into the crash and said authorities in both countries were currently investigating “in all directions.” In addition to a technical accident, she did not rule out the possibility of an intentional crash. In Europe there have been several “hybrid attacks” on individuals or infrastructure recently, the Green politician said, also in view of the damage to two data cables in the Baltic Sea that took place a week ago.

According to DHL, there are so far no indications that there were any suspicious packages on board the plane, and according to Minister Boris Pistorius, the Federal Ministry of Defense has not yet received any information about a possible explosive device. The SPD politician called for greater sensitivity to certain freight shipments. “At the same time, we also know that there is probably no 100% certainty in this area. But the gaps that exist and are recognized need to be closed,” the minister said, adding: “Both civil and military aviation know this.”

The plane crash raises questions and fears, especially as German security authorities warned at the end of August about “unconventional incendiary devices” being shipped by unknown persons via cargo carriers. At the time, security circles linked the warning to an incident at DHL’s logistics center in Leipzig, which serves as the company’s global hub. A package sent from the Baltic states containing an incendiary device reportedly caught fire in July. Based on the investigation, arrests have also been made in Lithuania, which were confirmed by the Prosecutor General’s Office in Vilnius earlier this month.