Ukraine, Canada, Sweden, and UK file lawsuit against Iran at UN court over downing of Ukrainian plane 

Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the information.

"We, ministers representing Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom, have taken an important step in our collective effort to ensure Iran is held accountable for the unlawful downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 (Flight PS752). Iran failed to respond to our request for arbitration sent on December 28, 2022. As a result, this week in The Hague, we have jointly filed an application with the International Court of Justice instituting proceedings against Iran in relation to their breaches of the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation of 1971," the statement said.

The statement further states Iran must bear full responsibility for its actions and omissions that violated international law in shooting down Flight PS752 with two surface-to-air missiles fired by members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Forces.

"Iran has, among other violations, failed to take all practicable measures to prevent the destruction of Flight PS752 by members of its armed forces. Iran has equally failed to advance a full, transparent and impartial criminal investigation and prosecution in accordance with international standards," the press service writes.

The joint legal action demonstrates the countries’ unwavering commitment to achieving transparency, justice and accountability for all families of the victims of Flight PS752.

UIA plane crash

The UIA plane was shot down on January 8, 2020, shortly after takeoff from Tehran by two surface-to-air missiles. As a result, all 176 people on board were killed. Iran claimed responsibility for the downing of the Ukrainian plane.

On July 18, 2020, Iran sent the black boxes from the Ukrainian International Airlines plane shot down near Tehran to France for examination. In January 2021, Iran handed over a draft technical report on the downing of the UIA plane to Ukraine.

On February 10, 2021, it became known that the Canadian government and security agencies were studying an audio recording in which a person identified by sources as Iran's foreign minister discusses the possibility that the downing of Flight PS752 was a deliberate act. Iran called the recording fake. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said that Iran is hiding important information in the case of the downing of the UIA plane.

On March 17, 2021, Iran released the final report on the downing of the UIA plane near Tehran, Kuleba called the document a "compilation of manipulations." 

The Supreme Court of the Canadian province of Ontario recognizes the downing of a UIA plane in Iran as a deliberate act of terrorism.

On November 25, 2021, an international group consisting of Canada, Sweden, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom called on Iran to pay full reparations for the downing of Flight PS752. On January 6, 2022, Iran refused to negotiate with the international group.

On January 8, 2022, Secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov said that the UIA plane crash over Tehran in 2020 had all the hallmarks of a terrorist attack.

In April 2023, an Iranian court sentenced 10 military personnel to prison in connection with the crash of a UIA passenger plane over Tehran in 2020. Subsequently, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated that the verdicts against the alleged perpetrators of the downing of Flight PS752 in Iran were a sham, and that Ukraine would demand justice.