Afət Ziyadqızı
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has commented on disinformation about an incident involving a Flydubai passenger plane. She said the events once again showed the importance of not immediately believing initial, unconfirmed reports.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that, speaking on Sputnik radio, the Russian Foreign Ministry official said claims that the pilots involved in the incident were Russian and Ukrainian citizens were entirely false.
She said a disaster had been prevented and described the incident as a lesson in remaining alert to information circulated hastily. According to Zakharova, the false report spread quickly in the information space and created a manipulative effect.
It was reported that on September 30, a co-pilot on a Flydubai plane carrying 180 passengers attacked and injured the captain, then directed the aircraft into a steep descent in an apparent attempt to cause a crash. The attacker was subdued after a swift response by crew members and passengers, preventing a tragedy. Initial assessments suggested that the co-pilot intended to take his own life and crash the plane.
