Hard-heartedness at supreme level

Ukraine has practically refused to compensate moral damage to relatives of Russian citizens who died in the TU-154 crash last October, however it was proved that the plane of Sibir air company was brought down with a missile of Ukrainian Armed Forces. Last week, a group of relatives of Russian citizens who died in the air crash arrived in Kiev. The aim of the visit was negotiations with Ukrainian officials on compensation of moral damage. Though, from Ukrainian part, that were not the Foreign Ministry officials at all, who participated in the negotiations. According to some information agencies, this filled the Russian citizens with indignation. The results of the meeting, according to the victims’ relatives, show that no progress was reached in solving this problem. In particular, Boris Kalinovsky, a participant of the meeting, says that Ukraine still has not admitted the conclusions of the Russian and of the CIS commissions about the airliner’s crash. Now, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry’s officials prefer to say: “There is the fact that the passenger airliner was brought down by a missile.” At the same time, the conclusions of the commissions are left without comments, because, according to the Ukrainian functionaries, “the local public prosecutor’s office has not completed its investigation and not designated either the guilty, or the circumstances of the catastrophe.” Moreover, the Foreign Ministry officials gave to understand to the relatives, that Ukraine did not intend to compensate moral damage. It was only proposed to be satisfied with “humanitarian aid,” which should be apportioned individually for every victim depending on his income. As for the children who died in the air crash, it will clear later how the “humanitarian aid” for them will be calculated. Moreover, the Foreign Ministry informed the relatives, that the “humanitarian aid” must be the subject of negotiation between the governments, but not between the citizens of the countries. And, according to the relatives, it sounded very cynically. The advocates of Ukrainian part said that money compensation from Ukraine could be protracted for dozens of years. As if to confirm their words, they cite as an example the case with South-Korean passenger liner brought down by Russian Air Defence in Far East: Russia is said still have not settled accounts with the relatives of the air crash victims. In the late1970s, Israel brought down a Lebanese passenger liner, while the US – an Iranian liner, though the compensation was paid only in the late 1990s. The pain the people felt while hearing these examples could be understood. They wanted to know the name of the person who aimed the missile at the air liner and how he would be punished. They cannot not believe that Ukrainian Public Prosecutor’s Office still has not found out who is the guilty, because everything must be fixed in computers. Though the relatives were most of all offended that instead of their beloved ones’ lives, some “humanitarian aid” was proposed to them. What the “humanitarian aid”? This could not be explained either by the Foreign Ministry official, or by the advocates. It is known, that Russian Public Prosecutor General’s Office sent 10 volumes of the case investigated by Sochi City Public Prosecutor’ Office for a supplementary examination of the Ukrainian colleagues. While the relatives still do not know who is guilty of their beloved ones’ death. The relatives, who came to Kiev, write statements of claim against Ukrainian Defence Ministry and Finance Ministry. Earlier, 18 statements of claim against Sibir air company, addressed to Novosibirsk Court and to Ob Court were readdressed to Ukrainian institutions. Though, the people continued to hope the case could be settled in a peaceful way. According to Boris Kalinovsky, relatives of passengers from Omsk, Barnaul, and Irkutsk also intend to have legal proceedings with Ukrainian authorities. The Russian victims’ interests will be represented in Kiev courts by Kiev Sikailo-Matveev-Gabasov-Partnery advocate office. Moreover, the Russian ambassador to Ukraine, Viktor Chernomyrdin ordered consul Vasily Kiryushin to be current of the negotiations. In particular, the consul must organize next meeting between the relatives and Kiev officials in the middle of May. According to Izvestia newspaper, Russian Foreign Ministry appointed a plenipotentiary who must contact the relatives of the victims and defend their interests in Kiev courts. Alexandr Gorobets PRAVDA.Ru Kiev Ukraine

Translated by Vera Solovieva

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2002/04/24/40236.html