Boeing shot down: after a recording is released, Kiev blasts Iran

Text by: Stéphane Siohan Follow

Ukrainian authorities have released records of the Tehran Airport control tower. Controllers knew from the start that a missile had shot down Ukraine Airlines flight PS 752, while Tehran offered compensation deemed insufficient to families.

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From our correspondent in Kiev,

President Volodymyr Zelensky seems to have decided to raise his voice with Iran in his management of the consequences of the crash of the Boeing PS 752 of the company Ukraine International Airlines. After the catastrophe of January 8, near Tehran, the Ukrainian head of state had been rather conciliatory with the mullahs' regime, adopting unlike Canada or the United States the role of the "good cop" to make giving birth to Iran of its responsibilities in the crash, which claimed 176 lives .

President Zelensky appeared more vindictive on Sunday evening. He accused Iran of having known from the start that one of its missiles had hit the plane, but also of procrastinating on compensation for the families of the victims.

The Ukrainian side brought new elements to the file, and it was Volodymyr Zelensky himself who took it upon himself to announce it to his fellow citizens in an interview on private television TSN.

" The publication of a new record of communications between the Tehran air traffic control service and [an] Iranian pilot who saw the missile launch and the impact with Ukraine International flight (UIA) proves that the Iranian side knew from the start that the plane had been hit by a missile, she already knew it by the time it was shot down, ”said Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ukraine has always refuted "technical error"

In this recording made public by the competent Ukrainian authorities, and considered as " authentic " by the Ukrainian president, an airline pilot of the Iranian companion Aseman on approach to Tehran Imam Khomeini airport calls the control tower.

“ There is a light trail on the road, like that of a missile. Was something like this planned? “, Worries the pilot in preparation for landing. “ We are not aware (…). Is the object flying to Tehran? Inquires the air traffic controller. " No, he seems to be leaving town, " replies the pilot, who sees the light from the explosion from the air. In the moments that follow, the control tower attempts to reach the Ukrainian crew, which does not respond.

Conversation between the Tehran air traffic control service and an Iranian pilot who saw the launch of the missile and the shock with the Ukraine International flight.

Ukraine has never accepted the thesis that the accident resulted from a " technical error ", according to President Zelensky. " We knew this could not be the case, when I visited the families of the victims, I told them that there had been no error on the part of the crew, " he said in the interview . We already had evidence . ”

The Ukrainian side nevertheless seems to have chosen to be cautious while 45 of its investigators and experts were on Iranian territory, responsible for investigating the circumstances of the disaster. Zelensky pointed out that his investigators had difficulty accessing certain parts of the plane, such as the cockpit or the seats, which often carry clues, but also the air traffic control room.

Our Ukrainian experts and diplomats are ready to collaborate closely with our Canadian counterparts in Tehran. I confirmed this to @JustinTrudeau once more. We will also coordinate efforts to punish those responsible for this tragedy.

The 5-minute recording was entrusted to Andriy Tsaplienko, a renowned war journalist on the 1 + 1 television channel, by the Ukrainian services. This leak is not trivial. The TSN news channel is owned by the oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky, who was the main supporter of Volodymyr Zelensky's campaign.

The sulphurous billionaire Kolomoisky is also the owner of Ukraine International Airlines, which suffered serious human injury. 11 Ukrainian victims are to be counted, including all the flight attendants, in the first disaster of UIA, a company which partially optimized its business model by making Kiev a hub for inexpensive transit flights to capitals like Tehran .

Very silent since the disaster, the noisy oligarch will necessarily seek compensation for his airline, against a background of insurance wars to compensate the victims, coming from several countries (82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, ten Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three British).

Arm wrestling over victims' compensation

Volodymyr Zelensky told TSN Iran has offered to pay $ 80,000 to each of the families of the Ukrainian victims. " A very small sum ", judges the Ukrainian president, for whom " human life is not measured in number and in money ", but who has promised to fight to obtain greater compensation. The Ukrainian president also asked that the black boxes be analyzed in Ukraine.

By pointing more directly to Iranian responsibilities, the Kiev government has greatly angered the Islamic Republic, which reacted promptly on Monday.

“ This audio file was part of the material provided to the [Ukrainian] expert group investigating the disaster. Its publication by the Ukrainian side means that we will no longer transfer anything [to Ukraine], "said, contrite, the head of the Iranian investigation team, Hassan Rezaiefar. It seems that a standoff is taking place between the parties concerned by the disaster, over compensation for the victims and the company.

► Read also: Iran: the army admits having shot down the Ukrainian Boeing by mistake

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