Ha'aretz - 12.25.2003

 

Ha'aretz

Ukraine ratifies compensation for shot-down jet victims


By The Associated Press

KIEV - The Ukrainian parliament on Thursday ratified a bilateral compensation agreement providing for more than $7.5 million to be paid to relatives of Israeli passengers killed when a Russian jet was shot down by a Ukrainian missile. 

The 450-seat parliament approved the Ukrainian-Israeli deal, which was reached last month, in an open vote with 272 lawmakers in support, Ukraine's private ICTV TV channel said.

All 78 people aboard the Sibir Airlines Tu-154 passenger jet died when it crashed into the Black Sea on Oct. 4, 2001, en route from Israel to Novosibirsk, Russia, after being hit by a stray S-200 missile fired during a military exercise. Most of the victims were recent Russian immigrants to Israel.

Each of the 101 relatives of the 40 Israeli dead will receive nearly US$200,000.

A similar compensation agreement is expected to be signed by Ukraine and Russia by year's end.