The man tried to break into the cockpit in mid-flight, claiming he was armed and demanded to change the course, the Russian Investigative Committee said.
Aeroflot, the Russian flag-carrier, confirmed the attempted hijack in a statement, after initially refusing to comment on why Flight SU1515 had diverted from its course.
Security officers soon entered the plane and restrained the drunk man, whose threat to use weapons turn out to be a bluff. Other passengers disembarked safely and were able to continue on a backup plane.
A criminal investigation has been opened into the incident. The Russian Investigative Committee identified the suspect as a Surgut resident with a prior conviction for "damage to property."
"During the search of the suspect and the inspection of the aircraft, no explosives or weapons were found," the committee said in a statement.
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According to the statement, Shapovalov has been officially put into custody and "will soon face charges of plane hijacking aggravated by threats to use violence."
Aeroflot said in a statement that its security and technical services had been put on high alert, which included extra aircraft checks before takeoff. The airline stressed its employees were trained to deal with such incidents due to a growing threat of terrorism.
