John Kirby, White House National Security Council coordinator, said the United States has no information that would confirm the presence of Ukrainian prisoners of war on board.
United States, he noted at the briefingcannot confirm or deny that Ukrainian prisoners of war were on board the Il-76 plane, which crashed on January 24 in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation:
“The American side, as of now, does not have information that could confirm that there were Ukrainian prisoners of war in the Russian Il-76 military transport plane that crashed in the Belgorod region. We have seen the reports, but cannot confirm them. We are working to ensure that get more data.”
Former Special Advisor for Russian Affairs to US Army Europe Mark Voyger in the comments Sky News noted that it is unlikely that there were Ukrainian prisoners of war on board the Russian Il-76, adding that the information currently emerging is “sketchy.”
Let us remind you that yesterday in the Belgorod region crashed military transport aircraft Il-76. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation stated that on board the plane there were allegedly 65 prisoners of the Ukrainian Armed Forces transported to the Belgorod region for exchange, six crew members and three accompanying persons.
The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War urged not to spread fake news and noted that information on this case is now being collected. President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky said that the Russians are playing with the lives of Ukrainian prisoners and stressed that Ukraine will insist on an international investigation, quotes edition “Country”:
“I called Umerov, Zaluzhny, Shaptala, Budanov and Malyuk. They reported on the situation with the plane and the exchange. It is obvious that the Russians are playing with the lives of Ukrainian prisoners, with the feelings of relatives and with the emotions of our society. It is necessary to establish all the clear facts. As much as possible , considering that the plane crash occurred on Russian territory is beyond our control. Facts are the main word now. I heard from the Commander-in-Chief and the General Staff about the use of the Air Force. The Main Intelligence Directorate is investigating the fate of all prisoners. The Security Service is investigating all the circumstances. And I gave instructions to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Affairs of Ukraine to inform partners about the data available in Ukraine. Our state will insist on an international investigation.”
Reports of the crash of the Il-76 transport plane first appeared in Russian state news agencies, writes Air Force. They cited the Defense Ministry in Moscow as saying the plane was carrying dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war on their way to a prisoner exchange. Kyiv is not confirmedand there was no evidence from Russia.
Last night two official statements were made by Ukraine. They came from the General Staff and Ukrainian military intelligence, and taken together represent an admission that Ukraine may have shot down the plane, although neither said so directly. Ukraine emphasizes that it does not have reliable information about who was on board. But it confirmed that a prisoner exchange was planned for Wednesday and did not take place. It also said that Russia usually provides information about the route and transport that will be used for the exchange to ensure its safety. This time, Ukraine says, none of this happened.
President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky made changes to the work schedule against the backdrop of the crash of the Russian Il-76 military aircraft. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to sources in Zelensky’s office and regional military administrations. According to the publication’s interlocutors, until the circumstances of the disaster were clarified, the Ukrainian leader canceled his trip to the central regions of the country and forbade making appointments to congratulate him on his birthday. On January 25, Zelensky turns 46 years old.
France rejected Russia’s request to hold a UN Security Council meeting on the Il-76 crash on January 24, reported permanent mission of the Russian Federation to the organization. Russian diplomats accused France of “trying to cover up for Ukraine” by scheduling a meeting on the Il-76 for the evening of January 25.
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