26 December 2016, 05:25 GMT
SOCHI (Sputnik) – Sokolov noted the neighboring breakaway republic's willingness to assist Moscow in search and rescue operations after holding phone talks with the Abkhazian president and prime minister.
"It is assumed that some fragments, remains could cross the border. Therefore our Abkhaz colleagues are ready to include their forces and means in search and rescue operations," Sokolov said.
The Russian Defense Ministry's Tu-154 plane heading from Moscow to Syria with 92 people on board disappeared from radars shortly after refueling and take-off from the Russian southern city of Adler, near Sochi. Its passengers included Alexandrov Ensemble members and nine journalists.
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