Ukraine denies its own minister’s claims of hijacked evacuation plane

A representative for the Ukrainian foreign ministry rejected the claim that an evacuation jet was hijacked in Kabul, saying that the Deputy Foreign Minister Yevgeny Yenin was attempting to convey the challenges faced by Ukrainian pilots during the evacuation of Kabul.

A Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson made these remarks on a local internet television station, Hromadske.

According to The Jerusalem Post, both the countries, Ukraine and Iran have refuted claims of a hijacking of jet from Afghanistan.

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Iran's civil aviation authorities have also refuted the hijacking claim. According to them, the plane was refuelled in Mashhad, Iran, before flying to Kiev, Ukraine's capital.

Ukraine has evacuated 256 citizens on three flights, the spokesperson said, adding that all aircraft being used to evacuate Ukrainian citizens from Afghanistan were currently in Ukraine.

Earlier in the day, Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Yevgeny Yenin claimed that one of the country’s planes that arrived in Afghanistan for evacuation purposes was hijacked and diverted to Iran, Russian news agency Tass reported.

"Last Sunday, our plane was hijacked by other people," Yenin said on Tuesday. "On Tuesday, the plane was practically stolen from us, it flew into Iran with an unidentified group of passengers onboard instead of airlifting Ukrainians."

(With inputs from agencies)