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Russian Tu-154 Airliner Downed by Ukrainian Missile: Final Conclusion
Russian Security Council Secretary Vladimir Rushailo said Saturday in Kiev that the Russian Tu-154 passenger plane that crashed in the Black Sea last month was downed by a Ukrainian missile, according to investigators' final conclusion.
"The Russian commission responsible for investigating into the crash has completed its work and the plane was finally confirmed to be accidentally shot down by a Ukrainian missile fired during Ukraine's military exercises on the Crimean peninsula," he told a press conference after a meeting with Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma.
Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister Oleg Dubina, also the head of the Ukrainian investigators' team, said the Russian and Ukrainian investigators briefed Kuchma about the investigating process and final conclusions.
"The talks were focused on working out a plan to pay compensation to the families of the victims and measures to prevent similar disasters during future military exercises," he noted.
Confirming that the Russian plane was accidentally hit by a Ukrainian missile, Dubina said the compensations would be paid soon in light of the international law.
The Russian and Ukrainian investigators on Thursday reconstructed on the Crimean peninsula the moment of impact using a computer and a real Tu-154 flying the same route at the same time as the ill-fated aircraft, hoping the simulation of the crash would help to explain the reasons of the tragedy.
After the test, Ukrainian Security and Defense Council Chief Yevhen Marchuk told reporters that the mock target was hit twice during the computer simulations. He said the Ukrainian missile may have veered off course and hit the Russian airliner because of reflections from the water's surface.
The Russian Tu-154 plane en route from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk crashed into the Black Sea on October 4, killing all 78 passengers and crew members on board, most of whom were recent Russian emigrants to Israel.
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