- The GUR added that Ukraine fulfilled its side of the prisoner swap.
- The intelligence directorate said that the incident may have been a deliberate move by Russia to “create a threat to the life and safety of the prisoners.”
Contact the author: thomas@thedrive.com
Military intelligence on Il-76 crash: Prisoner swap was planned, claim about Ukrainian POWs not yet verified
An exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine was planned for Jan. 24, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) spokesperson Andrii Yusov said in a comment for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).
Yusov made the comment after a Russian Il-76 transport plane reportedly crashed in Belgorod Oblast earlier on Jan. 24. While Ukrainian media wrote, citing military sources, that the aircraft carried S-300 missiles, Russia claimed that it was transporting 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war for an exchange.
The military intelligence spokesperson told RFE/RL that the claim about Ukrainian prisoners on board is currently being verified.
"I can state that the exchange planned for today is currently not taking place," Yusov told the news outlet.
Read also: Russian Il-76 transport plane crashes in Belgorod Oblast
Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported earlier that a Russian Il-76 transport aircraft crashed in Russia's Belgorod Oblast on Jan. 24 at around 11 a.m. local time, citing the country's Defense Ministry.
The crash was later confirmed by the regional governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov.
Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War responded to the claims about Ukrainian prisoners, saying it is investigating the information. The headquarters urged the public to trust only statements by authorized persons and warned against potential information operations on Russia's side.
Chief Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said that he is "finding out all the details of the event and analyzing the information received."
"I call on media representatives and citizens of Ukraine not to draw premature conclusions and trust only official sources," said Lubinets.
According to Suspilne, Ukraine's Defense Ministry said it could not confirm whether the plane was hit by Ukrainian forces, adding that the information is still being clarified.
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Russian plane carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war crashes near border, Moscow says
A Russian military aircraft carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war was shot down in western Russia's Belgorod region on Wednesday, Russian officials said.
The "captured" Ukrainian soldiers were being transported to the Belgorod region, located along Russia's border with Ukraine, as part of an "exchange," according to a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense. Six crew members and three Russian military personnel were also aboard the Il-76.
"The crew and all passengers of the plane were killed," the Russian Ministry of Defense said.
PHOTO: A Russian military transport plane crashes near Yablonovo, Belgorod region, Russia, Jan. 24, 2024, in this screen grab from a social media video obtained by Reuters. (Video Obtained By Reuters/via Reuters) The Russian Ministry of Defense accused the Ukrainian military of shooting down the plane "using an anti-aircraft missile system" that was launched across the border from eastern Ukraine's Kharkiv region.
Ukrainian military intelligence did not deny it shot down the plane, but said it was not informed of the need to ensure the security of the airspace in the vicinity of Belgorod, during a specific time period, as has apparently happened during previous prisoner swaps.
MORE: Microsoft corporate emails hacked by Russian-backed group, company says
Ukraine said the incident may amount to "deliberate actions" by Russia aimed at endangering the lives and safety of prisoners.
It also accused Russia of planned and deliberate actions to destabilize the situation in Ukraine and weaken international support for Kyiv.
Russia says Ukraine shot down a transport plane and killed 65 of its own POWs
Russia accused Ukraine of shooting down an Il-76 transport aircraft carrying prisoners of war.
Ukrainian outlets said Ukraine shot down the plane, but that it had missiles aboard rather than prisoners.
Those reports were then edited to remove reference to Ukraine taking responsibility.
Russia accused Ukraine of destroying a transport aircraft it was using to transport Ukraine's own prisoners of war on Wednesday.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said the Il-76 aircraft was taken down over the Belgorod region of Russia at around 11 a.m.
There were 65 Ukrainian captives aboard, as well as six crew members and three escorts, it said.
Ukraine did not immediately comment on the crash, saying it was investigating.
But some initial Ukrainian media reports also said Ukraine was responsible, then edited their articles to remove that detail.
At least two outlets — Ukrainian Pravda and Ukraine-RBC — posted articles saying Ukraine had shot down the planes, citing military sources.
Those articles also said the aircraft was carrying valuable S-300 missiles for Russia's air defense, and made no mention of the possibility that Ukrainian lives were lost.
Footage on Telegram appeared to show the crash in the Russian region of Belgorod, which borders Ukraine.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod, said on Telegram that everyone on board was killed when the plane fell into a field.
Russia did not immediately blame Ukraine for the crash, but several hours later said that the Il-76 had been taken out by a Ukrainian air-defense missile.
The prisoners were being flown to be exchanged for Russian captives, the Russian MOD said.
An early report on the crash by the outlet Ukrainian Pravda cited a Ukrianian defense source calling the shootdown "our work." An archived version is still available. . .
У ГУР підтвердили, що сьогодні готувався обмін полоненими між Росією та Україною
Сьогодні, 24 січня, мав відбутися обмін полоненими між Росією та Україною – про це в коментарі Радіо Свобода сказав представник Головного управління розвідки Андрій Юсов.
«Я можу констатувати, що запланований на сьогодні обмін наразі не відбувається», – сказав він.
За словами представника ГУР, озвучена російською стороною інформація про те, що військовополонені могли перебувати у літаку Іл-76, який впав у Бєлгородській області, наразі перевіряється.
Читайте також: В Україні відреагували на заяву РФ про падіння літака Іл-76, який нібито перевозив українських військовополонених
Російські державні агентства раніше заявили з посиланням на Міністерство оборони, що російський військово-транспортний літак Іл-76 зазнав аварії в Бєлгородській області, це сталося під час планового польоту.
При цьому у російському відомстві стверджують, що на борту літака нібито перебували 65 полонених українських військовослужбовців, які перевозилися до Бєлгородської області для обміну, а також шість членів екіпажу та троє супроводжуючих.
Координаційний штаб з питань поводження з військовополоненими заявив, що профільні структури України наразі збирають інформацію щодо цього випадку.
Водночас низка українських медіа з посиланням на свої джерела повідомляла, що збиття військово-транспортного літака Іл-76 є роботою Збройних сил України. За даними джерел, цей літак, ймовірно, перевозив ракети до комплексів С-300.
Claims Swirl Around Russian Il-76 Jet Crash Near Ukraine Border
Russia says the aircraft was carrying prisoners of war, while Ukrainian accounts claim it was transporting missiles.
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