Ukraine’s president is insisting that Iran issue a full apology and pay the country after it shot down a Ukrainian airliner and killed all 176 people on board.
The demands come a day after Tehran admitted that it “unintentionally” downed the airliner down with a surface-to-air missile. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to the news on Saturday and said that his country must receive compensation.
“Iran has pleaded guilty to downing the Ukrainian plane. But we insist on a full admission of guilt,” Zelensky said, according to RadioFreeEurope.
“We expect from Iran assurances of their readiness for a full and open investigation, bringing those responsible to justice, the return of the bodies of the dead, the payment of compensation, official apologies through diplomatic channels,” he added.
The victims of Wednesday’s crash included 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans, and three British nationals.
U.S. intelligence saw Iranian radar lock onto the jet before the plane was shot down. The country’s anti-aircraft systems were on alert hours after the country fired more than a dozen missiles at bases housing U.S. forces in Iraq.
Video has been released of the missile hitting the plane before it falls from the sky.
