Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on Friday that a military transport plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners was shot down by Ukraine. But Ukrainian officials say there is no evidence to support the Russian story.
Russia's Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday that a plane carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners crashed in the Belgorod region near Ukraine. The flight also carried six crew members and three Russian military personnel, the ministry said.
Speaking about Ukraine at a meeting with students in St. Petersburg, President Putin said, “They attacked this plane knowing (that there were prisoners on board). I don't know if it was an attack or not.” He did not provide details supporting his suspicions.
It was not until Friday that the Russian government provided a list of prisoners it said died in the crash to the Ukrainian agency handling the prisoner exchange.
Russian transport plane crashes near Ukraine, with over 60 Ukrainian prisoners on board
In this photo taken from a video released by the Russian Investigative Committee on Friday, January 26, 2024, a Russian investigator walks through the remains of the Russian military Il-76 plane crash area near Yablonovo, Belgorod region, Russia, on Thursday. Committee staff are pictured. January 25, 2024. (Russia Investigative Committee, Associated Press)
Ukraine's prisoner care coordination staff said relatives of the named prisoners were unable to identify their loved ones from photos of the crash site provided by Russian authorities. The agency's latest update quoted Ukraine's head of military intelligence, Lieutenant Colonel Kirillo Budanov, as saying Kiev had no verifiable information about who was on board the plane.
Russia claims a missile fired across the border from Ukraine brought down the transport plane. Local authorities in Belgorod announced that all 74 people on board were killed in the accident.
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Photos from a video released by the Russian Investigative Committee on Friday, January 26, 2024, show a bus carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war stopping to load Ukrainian servicemen onto a Russian military Il-76 plane, then 1 It crashed on February 25th near Yablonovo, Belgorod Oblast, Russia. On Wednesday, Russia's vulnerability to cross-border attacks was once again highlighted after the Defense Ministry announced that a military transport plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners had been shot down in the Belgorod region. Ukraine did not dispute that the plane crashed, but insisted that the Russian government had not told it in advance that it was carrying prisoners. (Russia Investigative Committee, Associated Press)
“At this time, there is no evidence that the aircraft could have had this many people on board.Russian propaganda claims that the IL-76 aircraft was transporting 65 Ukrainian prisoners for a prisoner exchange. 's claims still raise many questions,'' Budanov said.
Video of the crash was posted on social media and verified by The Associated Press and other news organizations. It showed a plane falling from the sky over a snowy countryside, followed by an explosion that appeared to hit the ground.
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In this photo taken from a video released by the Russian Investigative Committee on Thursday, January 25, 2024, the remains of an Il-76 are seen near Yablonovo, Belgorod region, Russia, on Thursday, January 25, 2024. (Russia Investigative Committee, Associated Press)
Ukraine has neither confirmed nor denied that its forces shot down a Russian military transport plane on the same day. Russia's claim that Ukrainian prisoners were killed in the crash could not be verified, the Associated Press said.
Ukrainian officials confirmed earlier this week that a prisoner exchange had been scheduled for Wednesday, but said it had been called off. The officials added that Moscow was not requesting airspace security for a period of time as in previous prisoner exchanges.
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Russian authorities said they were investigating the crash.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called for an international investigation into the crash, although Russia remains in exclusive control of the crash site.
Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
