The SPLA initially denied its role in the shooting, blaming rebels instead. The following day, the South Sudanese government admitted its troops had shot down 544. SPLA spokesman Philip Aguer announced that an SPLA artillery unit mistook Flight 544 for a Sudanese government aircraft that had previously been reported in the area, allegedly supplying Yau Yau's militia. He elaborated that before engaging the helicopter, the SPLA soldiers received confirmation from UNMISS that there were no UN flights in the region. The
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon immediately issued a statement vehemently condemning the SPLA's attack on "clearly marked" UN personnel and demanding that South Sudan hold accountable those responsible for the shooting and work to prevent future attacks. Ambassador
Vitaly Churkin announced that the Russian government would seek compensation from South Sudan for the families of the Russian crew. He stated that the crew of Flight 544 had cleared their flight plan and obtained a guarantee of security from the SPLA, contradicting the South Sudanese claim about confusion about the identify of the helicopter. He demanded that South Sudan punish those responsible and make changes to improve the protection of Russians working there.
European Union representative
Catherine Ashton issued a statement condemning the attack and requesting that the SPLA cooperate with an investigation into the incident. ==Investigation==