The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine has no reliable information on who was on board the IL-76 aircraft that crashed in Russia
Kyiv, Ukraine (Svidomi) — The Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine, which coordinates prisoner-of-war exchanges between Ukraine and Russia, has no reliable information about who and how many people were on board the IL-76 aircraft that crashed near Belgorod, Russia, on January 24. The Ukrainian agency issued this statement against the backdrop of statements by the Russian Ministry of Defence that the plane allegedly contained Ukrainian prisoners of war who were being transported for exchange.
Ukraine's Defence Intelligence admitted that the prisoner-of-war exchange between Russia and Ukraine was to take place on January 24.
According to the DIU’s press service, Ukraine has fulfilled all the agreements to prepare the exchange. The Russian prisoners of war were delivered on time to the agreed place for the exchange, "where they were safe".
The Russians had to guarantee the safety of the Ukrainian military. Russia did not inform the Ukrainian side about the need to ensure airspace security in the area of Belgorod within a certain period of time, "as it had done many times in the past".
"Ukraine was not informed about the number of vehicles, routes and ways of delivering prisoners. It is known that prisoners are delivered by air, rail and road transport. It may indicate Russia's deliberate actions aimed at posing a threat to the lives and safety of the prisoners," the Directorate said.
The DIU said that landing a transport aircraft in the 30-kilometre zone of hostilities cannot be safe and should be discussed by both sides in any case; otherwise, it would jeopardise the entire exchange process.
"It may be a case of planned and deliberate actions of the Russian Federation to destabilise the situation in Ukraine and weaken international support for our country," the DIU 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 prisoners of war. 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 particular the city of Kharkiv, 60 kilometres from the Russian border, from the territory of the Belgorod region.
The spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Ukraine, Oleksandr Vlasenko, said that the ICRC delegation in Russia is trying to find out who was on board the IL-76.
"The parties [Ukraine and Russia] negotiate directly with each other. We are only involved in the exchange of bodies. We also receive information about the exchange of prisoners of war after the fact. Our delegation in Russia is trying to find out who was on board, but so far, there is no information," he said.
Svidomi's online media team is monitoring the situation.
