Orval Fairbairn wrote in
news et:

Fuel problem???

Unlikely -- if it were a fuel problem, they would have had plenty of
time to get off some radio calls describing their problems. According
to the news, at least one got off a hijacking TXP code.

My thought is Chechen Islamist terrorists attempting to make a
statement about the upcoming Chechen elections.

You are right, of course. At the time all I had heard was that they both
went down, within minutes of each other. No word about radio calls or not.
Based on later news, I agree that fuel issues are VERY unlikely.
Unfortunately, that brings up the distinct probability that it was
deliberate.

jmk