Ukraine said senior Russian officials were scheduled to board the fateful military plane that crashed on Wednesday, killing about 65 Ukrainian prisoners, but were stopped by security services “at the last moment.”
The claim comes in the wake of gruesome new footage showing clearly charred human remains at the crash site, with Russia blaming Ukraine for shooting down the plane en route to the prisoner exchange. There is.
“In fact, it is known that some VIPs from military and political representatives of the state aggressor were scheduled to board the Il-76,” said Andriy Yusov, spokesman for the Ukrainian military intelligence service. . he told Radio Svoboda.
“But at the last moment the FSB [Russian Security Services] He actually ordered them not to board the plane and to use other means of transportation.”
“This information came to light after the incident occurred.”
Yusov also claimed that Russian Emergencies Ministry officials who arrived to inspect the crash site in the Belgorod region were “shooed out” by FSB officials.
“In accordance with protocol, they were not given the opportunity to inspect the site and locate the wreckage,” the Ukrainian spokesperson said.
Horrifying new footage taken at the crash site and released by Russia shows what appears to be charred human remains strewn across the snow-covered ground.
Russia claimed that 65 prisoners, six crew members and three security personnel were on board the military transport ship that was attacked by Ukrainian surface-to-air missiles. Ukraine's Yusov said only five bodies had been taken from the scene of the wreck to a local morgue in Belgorod.
Kiev has neither confirmed nor denied shooting down the plane, but has not ruled out that Russia used the prisoners as human shields.
Andrei Kartopov, a former general with close ties to Russia's Ministry of Defense, told lawmakers on Thursday that Ukrainian military intelligence had been given 15 minutes' warning before the Il-76 jets entered the Belgorod zone. However, Kiev refuted this claim.
Yusov said that contrary to previous practice before PoW exchanges, Ukrainian authorities had not received a request from Russia to open fire in the airspace where the plane was shot down.
“No evidence has been provided to support the charges…nothing has been shown to prove the wreckage or the presence of anyone on board,” he said.
Yusov said Ukraine was using reconnaissance drones in the region and Russia had also launched attack drones. He said there was “no confirmed information” that Ukrainian forces had attacked targets.
“Unfortunately, various scenarios are envisaged, including provocations and the use of Ukrainian prisoners of war as human shields for transporting ammunition and weapons for the S-300 system,” he told Radio Svoboda. .
Ukraine's Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Rubinets said he believed the incident was a “false flag” plot orchestrated by Russia. He said the casualty list of Ukrainian prisoners shared by Russian news agencies after the crash also included soldiers who had already returned from previous exchanges.
with post wire
