Russia and Israel to coordinate their actions seeking financial compensation by Ukraine

Russia and Ukraine will coordinate their actions to make Ukraine pay financial compensation for the Tu-154M passenger aircraft shot down by a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile over the Black Sea on October 4th, 2001. As the information and press department of the Russian Foreign Ministry said, the necessity to continue coordinating the actions on this issue was stated in the course of the consultations held in Moscow at the level of directors of the legal departments of the Foreign Ministries of Russia and Israel.

From the Russian side the delegation was headed by Roman Kolodkin, and from the Israeli side - by Alan Baker. Baker was also received by First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Valery Loshchinin, the chairman of the interdepartmental commission on settlement with the Ukrainian side of the questions related to the air crash.

The Tu-154 was shot down on October 4th, 2001, by a Ukrainian missile S-200 launched in the course of an air-defence exercise in the Crimea. As a result of the air crash, 78 people perished, among them 66 passengers, most of them citizens of Israel, and 12 members of the crew. But solution to all the questions linked with paying compensation to the passengers' relatives is still hindered by the Ukrainian side.

On Monday, December 9th, the Defence Ministry of Ukraine announced the completion of the internal official investigation of the causes of the crash of the Tu-154. According to the conclusions of the Defence Ministry's official investigation, the crash occurred through the fault of the Ukrainian side because of a tragic coincidence.

For his part, chairman of the State Commission on the Defence-Industrial Complex of Ukraine Vladimir Gorbulin stated that Ukraine fully bears responsibility for the downed Tu-154 Russian aircraft.