It is now being reported that "a Russian-made Tupolev 154 aircraft blew a tire, skidded off a runway and caught fire while landing in northeastern Iran on a few hours ago, killing up to 80 of the 147 passengers aboard. The Tu-154, the workhorse of passenger airlines in the former Soviet Union, has been in commercial service since 1972. More than 900 have been built and more than 160 exported to airlines around the world. Due to noise and pollution regulations, the planes do not fly to Western destinations." As previously reported on La Russophobe, a Tu-154 crashed during a thunderstorm in Ukraine on Aug. 22 while en route from a Black Sea resort to St. Petersburg, Russia, killing all 170 aboard. That craft was owned by Russia's Pulkovo Airlines, and was only the latest in recent string of Russian air disasters.