Putin sends condolences to Zelensky over Ukrainian plane crash

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a message of condolences to President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky over the crash of a Ukrainian plane near Tehran.

The relevant report was posted on the Kremlin’s website.

Putin "conveyed sympathy and support to the relatives of those killed".

As reported, the Ukrainian International Airlines Boeing 737 crashed shortly after taking off from the Imam Khomeini International Airport at about 06:00 Tehran time (04:30 Kyiv time).

According to the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council, there were 177 people on board: 168 passengers and nine crew members. Among those killed, there were eleven citizens of Ukraine, including two passengers and nine crew members. Also, according to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, among the victims were nationals of Iran (82), Canada (63), Sweden (10), Afghanistan (4), Germany (3), and the UK (3).

The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine launched a pretrial investigation into the plane crash.