Ukraine admits it shot down Russian airliner
By Ben Aris in Moscow
12:01AM BST 13 Oct 2001
Ukraine finally admitted yesterday that its military shot down
a Russian airliner that crashed into the Black Sea last week, killing all 78 passengers and crew.
Evhen Marchuk, the chairman of Ukraine's security council, conceded that the plane had probably been brought down by "an accidental hit from an S-200 rocket fired during exercises".
Russian investigators believe a missile exploded near the plane, spraying it with shrapnel. Russian and Israeli scientists
found metal pellets in the victims and in the fuselage.
Vladimir Rushailo, the chairman of Russia's security council, said: "The investigation has found that the disaster resulted from a strike by a warhead from an anti-aircraft missile."
Although both Russia and Ukraine were
almost certainly aware of the cause from the start, it took eight days for Ukraine to accept responsibility.
Last year four people were killed when a Ukrainian rocket hit a block of flats.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...ine-admits-it-shot-down-Russian-airliner.html
