Ukraine Shocked by Revelations that Iran Saw Both Launch and Blast

A new recording reveals that Iranian airspace officials and a pilot saw both the launch and the explosion when an Iranian missile hit Ukrainian passenger plane 752 on January 8. Although the Ukrainian president commented on the news as it broke, he is unlikely to take further action, experts say

Newly revealed communication between the control tower at Tehran Airport and a pilot on Iranian Aseman Airlines flight has hit international headlines, attracting particular attention in Ukraine, which lost 11 of its citizens when the flight was shot down.  

In the recording, which has been {{ __192393_videocomponent__video component__ }}">broadcast on Ukrainian TV and news sites, the pilot and the control tower employee are heard talking about how they saw both the launch and the blast, which led to the deaths of all 176 people on board, among them 82 Iranians. The revelation puts additional pressure on Iranian authorities, who said shortly after the crash that it had happened because of an engine failure, and then later, under international pressure, admitted that the plane had been shot down by the Revolutionary Guards' air defense by accident. 

“Indeed, it proves that the Iranian side knew from the very beginning that our plane was hit by a missile. They knew it at the time of the crash. After that shot, the Iranian air traffic controller contacted our aircraft many times, but there was silence," Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky told the TV channel 1+1, where the audio clip first aired, according to the news agency Ukrinform. 

In recent weeks, the Ukrainian president has been criticized by the country’s opposition for being too soft on Iran because he has tried to avoid a confrontation with authorities there. Opposition media in Ukraine have taken advantage of the intercepted communication to launch further attacks on Zelensky, while others have focused on Iranian misinformation and responsibility. 

“Some media have used this opportunity from the beginning to criticize Zelensky, calling him a weakling with no experience in international affairs,” Pavlo Kutuev, chair of the sociology department at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and an expert in Ukrainian politics, told IranWire. “It is not surprising.”

Focus on the Victims and Iran’s Reaction

However, while some media outlets have focused on criticizing the president, others have concentrated on the victims and how the intercepted communication is yet more proof of Iranian responsibility. Also, several news sites, including Ukrainian news site Day, focus on Iranian accusations that a Ukrainian team of experts and officials were behind the leak and speculations that Iran is about to put an end to cooperation with Ukraine as a consequence [Ukrainian link]. 

The Ukrainian president has denied having leaked the audio clip, and there is, in general, good reason for this, according to Kutuev. 

“His major concern is to make sure that the relatives of the victims get maximum compensation from the Iranians,” says Kutuev. “Loud statements make little sense. It could make Iran less cooperative [and] alienate them. He has found it unproductive.”

However, in the last couple of days, Zelensky has been more vocal in his criticism of Iran. For example, he criticized the Iranian compensation proposal of US$80,000 per family, a topic that has attracted a great deal of attention in the Ukrainian media, whose sympathy lies with the families. 

“It seems to me that this is not enough. When the wife of the deceased says that her husband was the only breadwinner, she does not have a job, and their child has to enter [expensive daycare], then $80,000 is not enough,” the president told 1+1 on Sunday, February 2. “Of course, human life is not measured by any money, but we will press for higher payments.”

Good Cop, Bad Cop Strategy

Despite his new statements. Kutuev finds it unlikely that the Ukrainian president will change his approach to Iran. Pressure by opposition media will also not change that, he says. 

Previously, Ukrainian officials were quoted saying that Ukraine is considering bringing the matter to the United Nations because of a lack of progress in the investigation. Furthermore, Andriy Yermak, one of the president’s advisors, said in January that the Ukrainian investigation will continue until it is clear whether Iran shot down the plane by accident or deliberately. 

“In any case, there will be an international court [hearing]. In any case, there will be compensation,” the Ukrainian president Zelensky told 1+1, adding, “Ukraine will definitely win. We will win everything.”

According to Kutuev, it might sound weird that the president says one thing and his officials something different. However, it’s possible this is a clear strategy on Zelensky’s behalf, he says. 

“There are two options,” said Kutuev, “A good cop-bad cop strategy, where Zelensky is the voice of peace, and his advisors are promoting a tougher stand on Iran. The other explanation, and it is just as likely, is that there is chaos and a lack of coordination within the presidential administration.”

Ukrainian International Airlines flight PS752 departed from Tehran Airport at 6:20 on January 8. Soon after, the airline was shot down by an Iranian missile. Forty-five Ukrainian experts are currently in Tehran, examining the crash site. It is uncertain whether they will remain in the country following the recent revelations and the leaked recording.  

Iranian president Hassan Rouhani has previously referred to the crash “an unforgivable mistake,” though key figures outside his administration have been less harsh on those responsible for the tragedy.