PLEASE NOTE: Russian MP Andrey Kartapolov said that there were two planes carrying Ukrainian POWs, and that Moscow had to urgently divert the second IL-76, carrying 80 captured troops, out of the danger zone.
The legislator stated that Kiev knew about the impending exchange and had been informed of the flight route, adding that despite the warning, the plane was shot down by three anti-aircraft missiles fired from either US-made Patriot or German-made IRIS-T systems.
The legislator stated that Kiev knew about the impending exchange and had been informed of the flight route, adding that despite the warning, the plane was shot down by three anti-aircraft missiles fired from either US-made Patriot or German-made IRIS-T systems.
24 Jan, 2024 09:17
65 Ukrainian POWs killed in Russian plane crash – MOD
The IL-76 military aircraft was transporting 65 captured service members for further exchange, the Defense Ministry has said
A Russian heavy transport plane carrying several dozen Ukrainian prisoners of war has crashed in Belgorod Region, which borders Ukraine, Moscow has confirmed. Local Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has said all those on board were killed.
- In a statement on Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that an IL-76 cargo aircraft carrying 65 captured Ukrainian service members as well as six crew members and three people accompanying the POWs went down during a pre-planned flight at around 11am local time.
- It added that the prisoners were being transported to Belgorod region for an exchange.
- Defense officials also noted that Moscow has dispatched a commission to establish the cause of the incident.
Telegram channel 112, citing a source, had earlier reported that the crash took place near the village of Yablonovo, about 90 km from the border.
- However, the outlet reported that the plane had been carrying S-300 air defense missiles rather than prisoners.
A few minutes later, it removed the mention of Kiev’s role in the downing of the aircraft, stating only that its military sources had confirmed the crash.
- Russian MP Andrey Kartapolov said that there were two planes carrying Ukrainian POWs, and that Moscow had to urgently divert the second IL-76, carrying 80 captured troops, out of the danger zone.
The legislator stated that Kiev knew about the impending exchange and had been informed of the flight route, adding that despite the warning, the plane was shot down by three anti-aircraft missiles fired from either US-made Patriot or German-made IRIS-T systems.
Kartapolov asserted that in light of this tragedy, any prisoner exchange is “out of the question for now,” suggesting that Kiev had carried out the attack in order to thwart the exchange.
LIVE UPDATES: Transport Plane Il-76 With Ukrainian PoWs on Board Crashes in Belgorod Region
3 hours ago (Updated: 43 minutes ago)
Being updated
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that the information about a plane crash in Russia's Belgorod region is quite new and will be studied.
An IL-76 transport plane of the Russian air forces with 65 Ukrainian prisoners who were being transported for exchange, the crew and accompanying persons crashed in Russia's Belgorod region, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
"At about 11:00 Moscow time [08:00 GMT], an IL-76 plane crashed in the Belgorod region during a scheduled flight. There were 65 captured servicemen of the Ukraine armed forces on board, transported to the Belgorod region for exchange, six crew members of the aircraft and three accompanying persons. A Russian air forces commission flew to the crash site to establish the causes of the disaster," the ministry said.
All people on board of an Il-76 transport plane that crashed in the Belgorod Region of Russia were killed, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the region's head, said on Wednesday.
"A transport plane crashed in the Korochansky district. It fell in a field near a populated area. All on board died," Gladkov wrote on Telegram.
The Ukrainian media reported that an Il-76 from the Russian Aerospace Forces was shot down near Belgorod by the Ukrainian armed forces. After the Russian Defense Ministry had revealed that Ukrainian POWs were being transported on board the plane for an exchange, the Ukrainian media edited the news and deleted the information about the Ukrainian military being responsible for the plane's destruction.
Speaker of Russia’s lower house Vyacheslav Volodin instructed lawmakers to prepare an appeal to the US Congress and Germany’s Bundestag in connection with the plane crash in order to show foreign parliamentarians for what purposes Kiev is using their military assistance, as he believes the Ukrainian military shot down the plane.
"There is a proposal to clarify which rockets and launchers were used, let's prepare an appeal to the US Congress and the German Bundestag so that lawmakers finally have an epiphany whom they are financing, whom they are helping. This is a Nazi regime, nourished by Biden, Macron, Scholz, and other politicians, they should realize their responsibility, and the members of the parliaments should declare impeachment," he said at the plenary session.
Volodin also suggested that the Duma's position on the issue be brought to the attention of national parliaments.
"Their soldiers were shot in the air... their mothers, wives, children were waiting there," Volodin added.
- Another plane carrying 80 POWs that followed the downed IL-76 plane in the Belgorod region was turned back, the chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee, Andrey Kartapolov, said.
"A second IL-76 plane followed carrying roughly 80 more POWs, [but] it was turned back in time," Kartapolov said.
The Russian IL-76 transport plane is a military aircraft designed to transport large and heavy cargo over long distances. Equipped with four turbofan engines and a spacious cargo hold, it can carry up more than 40 tons of cargo to distances between 3,600 and 4,200 km, and has a cruising speed of 770-800 km per hour, making it one of the largest transport aircraft in service. The IL-76 is used by the Russian Aerospace Forces for a variety of purposes, including military transport, air-to-air refueling, and search and rescue.
Kiev Shot Down Plane, Pursuing Goal of Blaming Russia for Destruction of Ukrainian Military - Russian MoD
Il-76 Plane Carrying Ukrainian Prisoners of War Downed by Kiev - Russian Defense Ministry
Il-76 ‘Provocation’ Could be Result of Chaos Inside Ukraine’s Military and Political Establishment
“It’s not very difficult to attack a military transport plane. Moreover, the motive is clearly a provocation. Moreover, this is a provocation within both Ukraine’s Armed Forces and within the Ukrainian political establishment,” Association of Military-Political Scientists expert Andrei Koshkin told Sputnik.
The observer is convinced that given the Il-76’s onboard complement of Ukrainian PoWs, Kiev was obviously aware of its route and flight details. Shortly after the incident, Ukrainian media reported that the country’s air defenses had shot down the Russian plane, deleting the reports after it was revealed that Ukrainian PoWs were onboard.
“Accordingly, if we’re talking about missiles purportedly launched from Kharkov region to hit this aircraft – that is, from about 130 km away, both the Patriot and IRIS-T air defense system, and even the Strela MANPADS, could have attacked it, if a sabotage and reconnaissance group [operating inside Belgorod region, ed.] was tapped to do so.”
“If it turns out that this provocation was organized by the decision of some forces inside Ukraine seeking to complicate the general situation or internal disputes between the political establishment and the military leadership of the country, we will see to what extent this provocation will be used in this confrontation,” Koshkin said.
Il-76 Crew Showed Tremendous Heroism During Doomed Russian Plane’s Final Moments
“I must mention the heroic actions of the plane’s commander, who was able to swerve the already burning Il-76 away from the village of Yablonovo,” Andrei Koshkin, a retired Russian colonel and expert with the Association of Military-Political Scientists, told Sputnik.
“The plane’s destruction occurred in a field. The heroism on the part of the crew of the military transport aircraft is obvious. Not only did they see and feel that their plane was falling apart – according to eyewitnesses it was falling apart in the air, but at that moment they were able to reduce the number of victims. The courage and professionalism of our crew is worthy of high praise,” Koshkin said.
Crew of Il-76 That Was Shot Down in Belgorod Region Reported External Influence - Russia's Upper House Defense Committee
The crew of the Il-76 plane that was shot down in the Belgorod Region managed to report on the external impact, Viktor Bondarev, the chair of the Federation Council defense and security committee, said on Wednesday.
"The crew managed to report, there was an external influence," Bondarev told the official broadcaster of the upper house of the Russian parliament," adding that there is no doubt that the plane was shot down.
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