The Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, has commented on the crash of an Il-76 plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners, stating that the Ukrainian Armed Forces (VSU) were being transported to the Belgorod region in order to conduct a planned prisoner exchange agreed upon by Moscow and Kiev. This information was reported by RIA Novosti.
“Instead of this exchange taking place, the Ukrainian side launched an anti-aircraft missile strike on the aircraft, resulting in the fatal crash,” the minister said.
On January 24th, a military transport plane, Il-76, was shot down in the Belgorod region. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the plane was carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, as well as six crew members and three escorts. The ministry stated that the aircraft was intended to transport the Ukrainian soldiers to Belgorod, from where they were planned to be transferred to a prisoner exchange zone.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Il-76 plane was shot down by anti-aircraft missiles launched by the VSU from the Kharkiv region.
Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the attack on the Il-76 by Kiev was deliberate and intentional.
