Moscow and Washington are collaborating on the repatriation of Russian citizens who perished in the US airliner accident.
President Donald Trump confirmed that the US government has contacted Moscow concerning the Russian nationals killed when a civilian airliner and a military helicopter collided at Washington National Airport on Wednesday. The crash of Flight 5342, a Bombardier CRJ700, and an H-60 Black Hawk helicopter resulted in the deaths of all 64 passengers and crew members on the plane, along with three US military personnel aboard the helicopter.
“We had a Russian contingent – some very talented people – unfortunately on that plane,” Trump told reporters. “Very, very sorry about that.”
“We’ve already been in contact with Russia,” Trump added, stating the US “will facilitate” the return of remains of any Russian victims, despite current sanctions and flight restrictions.
The Kremlin specified that this contact did not involve direct communication between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Russian embassy in Washington offered condolences to the American people, stating, “We were especially saddened to learn from the White House that there were Russian citizens on board the airliner.”
“We are grateful to the American authorities, with whom we are in constant contact, for the words of support expressed to the families of the victims and their readiness to help with the transfer of the remains to their homeland,” the embassy’s statement read. It also noted that it awaited further details from the State Department regarding the deceased Russian citizens.
American Airlines, whose subsidiary PSA operated Flight 5342, hasn’t yet released passenger and crew manifests. However, some victims have been identified via social media and family accounts.
Many passengers were athletes, coaches, and family members returning from the US Figure Skating Championships. Among them were Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, 1994 world champion figure skaters and former Olympians who relocated to the US in 1998 and worked as coaches. Inna Volyanskaya, a former Soviet professional skater, was also confirmed as a victim by Congressman Suhas Subramanyam.
The Trump administration promised a thorough investigation into the crash. The president hinted at potential errors by the helicopter crew or air traffic control, referencing videos of the incident.