Kyiv Post - 04.19.2002

 

The Kyiv Post

Ukraine, Russia and Israel Agree in Principle on Compensation Payments to Families of Crash Victims

The Associated Press

KYIV, April 19 - The governments of Ukraine, Russia and Israel agreed in principle on compensation payments to families of passengers on a plane accidentally downed by a Ukrainian missile last year, an official said Thursday.

Viktor Chernomyrdin, Russia's Ambassador to Ukraine, announced the agreement but would not disclose any further details or the amount of compensation, a news agency reported. "The legal aspects of the agreements are in the process of active coordination," ITAR-Tass quoted Chernomyrdin as saying.

Earlier, news reports indicated that Ukraine might pay up to dlrs 20,000 for each victim, but officials never confirmed that amount. On Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Serhiy Borodenkov confirmed that compensation talks continue, but said that Ukraine has not officially agreed to any particular sum. He could not specify when a final agreement would be reached.

Russian lawyer Sergei Araslanov said that it is too early to talk about amounts because no law firm has been retained to represent victims' interests in Ukraine, according to the Interfax news agency.

All 78 people aboard the Sibir Airlines Tu-154 were killed when it crashed into the Black Sea on October 4, 2001, en route from Israel to Novosibirsk, Russia. The plane was hit by a stray S-200 missile fired by Ukraine's navy during training exercises. Most of the victims were recent Russian immigrants to Israel.