Speaking to Radio Farda, Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister, Yevhen Yenin, said on Wednesday, January 6, that Kyiv is waiting for the identification and punishment of the "real" Iranian officials responsible for shooting down Ukraine International Airline's passenger plane last January.
Yenin, who is in charge of following up on the tragic case, asked that Tehran announce the real reasons behind targeting the plane with two deadly missiles.
On Wednesday, on the eve of the anniversary of two rockets' firing by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on UIA Flight 752, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani once again promised that a court would "definitely" try those responsible for the tragedy.
Hours later, Yenin reacted to Rouhani's comments and told Radio Farda, "Ukraine's goal is not limited to receiving compensation. Justice is our most important value and priority, and neither Kyiv nor its allies will stop until Iran takes full responsibility, makes the details of the tragedy public, and punishes those responsible."
"We will ensure the administration of justice by using all the tools available to us under international law," Yenin said.
On January 8, 2020, as Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 took off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini international airport heading to Kyiv, the IRGC fired two missiles at the plane. The three-year-old Boeing crashed near Tehran, killing all people aboard.
The crash victims included 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, ten Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans, and three Britons. Only after three days did the Guard take responsibility for the tragedy.
In the past year, there has been no report of a trial for the six detainees related to the case, and it is unclear what the Iranian judiciary has done in this regard. Furthermore, Iran has not yet named the commanders who ordered firing rockets at the UIA passenger plane.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba confirmed last Tuesday that Iran had submitted a draft technical report on the tragedy on December 30, before a twelve-month deadline.
Kuleba told the country's national television that Iran's delay in submitting the report had overshadowed the negotiation process. Still, Ukraine was ready now to enter a new phase and wrap up the case, he said.
Under international law, the Ukrainian Civil Aviation Authority now has 60 days to study Iran's 150-page technical report and present its comments in cooperation with other countries involved in the technical investigation.
Then, Iran will have 30 days to complete its technical report while applying or ignoring the other countries' considerations and making it available to the public after the International Aviation Organization’s approval.
