Satsita Dzhebirkhanova was a resident of Grozny, the capital of the Chechen Republic in the Russian Federation. Publicly available information about her early life remains limited, consistent with the clandestine nature of insurgent recruitment networks operating in Chechnya during the early 2000s. Russian investigators identified her as one of several Chechen women later referred to in media and security reports as part of the so‑called “black widow” phenomenon—female suicide bombers often linked to personal loss, radicalisation, and prolonged exposure to armed conflict.

Dzhebirkhanova lived during a period marked by ongoing violence following the Second Chechen War. Russian security services later determined that she had been recruited into an extremist cell affiliated with Chechen separatist militants. Her radicalisation was believed to have taken place within this conflict environment, where insurgent leaders increasingly turned to suicide bombings as a tactical weapon against civilian and state targets.

There is no verified evidence that Dzhebirkhanova had prior criminal convictions before 2004. Investigators later concluded that her involvement in terrorism began shortly before the attack and that she received logistical support from accomplices who facilitated her travel, documentation bypass, and access to explosives.

On the evening of August 24, 2004, Satsita Dzhebirkhanova carried out a suicide bombing aboard Siberia Airlines Flight 1047, a domestic passenger flight traveling from Moscow to Sochi. The attack was part of a coordinated double bombing that targeted two Russian airliners departing from Domodedovo International Airport within minutes of each other.

Dzhebirkhanova boarded Flight 1047 despite lacking proper identification. Investigators later established that she bribed airport personnel with assistance from intermediaries, allowing her to bypass standard security checks. She was accompanied through the terminal by male associates who were later believed to be part of the same extremist network.

Flight 1047 departed Moscow earlier in the evening and was cruising at approximately 12,100 meters when, at around 22:59 local time, a powerful explosion occurred near seat row 25 on the right side of the aircraft. Flight data and wreckage analysis showed that the blast caused rapid decompression, catastrophic structural damage, loss of control systems, and failure of electrical power. The aircraft broke apart in mid‑air and crashed in Rostov Oblast, killing all 46 people on board, including 38 passengers and eight crew members.

The cockpit voice recorder captured crew reactions to sudden decompression and system failures but contained no evidence that the crew was aware a bomb had detonated. The emergency locator transmitter activated automatically moments after the explosion.

Russian authorities quickly suspected terrorism due to the near‑simultaneous destruction of a second aircraft, Volga‑AviaExpress Flight 1303. On August 28, 2004, the Federal Security Service (FSB) confirmed the presence of the military‑grade explosive RDX in the wreckage of both planes. Subsequent investigation conclusively identified Dzhebirkhanova as the suicide bomber responsible for Flight 1047.

Responsibility for the coordinated attack was later publicly claimed by Chechen militant leader Shamil Basayev, who stated that the operation was organised by Chechen insurgents and cost approximately US$4,000 to carry out.

Following the bombings, Russian authorities arrested and prosecuted multiple individuals connected to security failures at Domodedovo Airport. Police captain Mikhail Artamonov was convicted of criminal negligence for failing to properly search the bombers and was sentenced to six years in prison after appeal.

Ticket office personnel were also convicted for accepting bribes that enabled Dzhebirkhanova to board the aircraft without valid identification. Civil lawsuits were later filed by victims’ families against airlines, airport security companies, and state agencies. While some compensation awards were granted, responsibility for the bombings was ultimately attributed solely to the terrorist organisers and perpetrators.

The criminal investigation into the planners and facilitators was suspended in 2006 after key suspects, including Basayev, were killed and no additional organisers could be identified.

The airline bombings occurred amid a broader wave of terrorist attacks in Russia in 2004, including the Moscow Metro bombing earlier that year and the Beslan school siege days later. The attacks exposed critical vulnerabilities in airport security and prompted nationwide reforms in passenger screening procedures.

Satsita Dzhebirkhanova remains historically documented as one of the perpetrators of the deadliest aviation terrorist attacks in Russian history. Her actions contributed directly to the deaths of 46 people and indirectly to one of the most violent periods of civilian-targeted terrorism in post‑Soviet Russia.