RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service journalists identify members of the Russian IL-76 crew crashing in Belgorod, Russia

Kyiv, Ukraine, (Svidomi) — Ukrainian journalists from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Schemy (Schemes) project have identified the names of the Russian crew of the IL-76 plane that crashed in the Belgorod region of Russia on January 24. The deaths of at least three of them were confirmed by their relatives.

The crew belonged to the Orenburg-based 117th Military Transport Aviation Regiment.

Journalists from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Schemy project received a list of the six-person crew that was supposed to accompany the flight and verified their positions and affiliation with military aviation.

Relatives confirmed the deaths of three of them - 36-year-old commander Stanislav Bezzubkin, navigator Alexey Vysokin, and 38-year-old flight engineer Andrey Piluyev.

As per Schemy, Commander Stanislav Bezzubkin's death was confirmed by his wife Marika Bezzubkina. She said that she had been informed of this by the Russian Ministry of Defence. She last spoke to her husband at around 7:30 a.m. Moscow time, when he was supposed to take off from Moscow.

Flight engineer Andrey Piluyev's wife said that she was aware of his death, but had not yet been officially informed of the details. Piluyev himself was awarded the medal 'For the Return of Crimea' (an award from the Russian Ministry of Defence, given to those who took part in the occupation of the Ukrainian peninsula - ed.) and for participation in hostilities in Syria (Russia supports the Bashar al-Assad regime in the war in Syria - ed.).

Navigator Alexey Vysokin's death was confirmed by his cousin. She said she had learnt about it from his parents.

Under the photo of another IL-76 crew member, flight radioman Igar Sablinsky, comments were posted on social media expressing condolences for his death.

The flight was also supposed to be serviced by airborne equipment flight engineer Sergey Zhitenyov and assistant commander Vadim Chmiryov, but so far it has not been possible to independently confirm their deaths.

In an evening briefing, President Zelenskyy said that he had instructed the military command to investigate all the circumstances of the crash. The Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine is investigating the fate of all the prisoners. The Security Service of Ukraine is investigating all the circumstances.

Ukraine will insist on an international investigation into the incident.

"I have instructed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to inform our partners about the data available to Ukraine. Our country will insist on an international investigation," Zelenskyy said.

On January 24, an Il-76 military transport plane crashed near the Russian city of Belgorod. The Russian Ministry of Defence claims that it was allegedly carrying Ukrainian POWs. The Ukrainian media, citing sources in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, reported that the plane was carrying S-300 missiles, which are used to fire at Ukraine, in particularly Kharkiv, 60 kilometres off the border with Russia, from the territory of Belgorod region.

At present, the Ukrainian security services have no information on who was on board and their number.

The White House also does not yet have enough information to determine what happened to the IL-76.

"We don't have enough information to comment on this plane crash. The Ukrainians say one thing, the Russians say another. We don't have enough facts to comment on this yet," said John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the US National Security Council.