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Iran sentences 10 soldiers for downing Ukrainian jet in 2020

by The Kyiv Independent news desk April 17, 2023 12:23 AM 1 min read

*Iran tests its home-built surface-to-surface Fateh-110 missile on 25 August, 2010 (Mohsen Shandi)*

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An Iranian court has sentenced 10 soldiers to prison for downing a Ukrainian airliner in 2020, Iranian news agency Mizan Online reported on April 16.

Ukraine International Airlines' flight PS752 was shot down on Jan. 8, 2020 in Iran while en route to Kyiv, with all 176 people on board being killed.

According to Mizan Online, the commander of the air defense unit who allegedly ordered the strike was sentenced to 13 years in prison, while other nine soldiers were sentenced to up to three years.

The court concluded that the plane was shot down by accident, not on purpose.

The commander's decision to fire the missile that shot down the plane was based on “his false belief that the identified target was hostile” amid tensions between Iran and the U.S., according to the court.

The court also ordered the convicts to pay $150,000 to the families of each passenger killed in the accident.

Most of the victims of the tragedy were Canadians and Iranians, while 11 of them were Ukrainians.

Author: The Kyiv Independent news desk

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