Ukraine is conducting an examination of the bodies of those killed in the Il-76 crash (video)

Kyiv confirmed the transfer by Russia of the bodies of Ukrainian prisoners, according to the Russian Federation, who died in the crash of an Il-76 in the Belgorod region in January 2024.

This was reported by Tatyana Moskalkova, Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, in a publication published on December 9 interview RIA Novosti agency:

“They were handed over. It happened, and I was present.”

She did not specify when exactly the transfer of bodies took place, but noted that the exchange of bodies of the dead between Russia and Ukraine continues and remains one of the main humanitarian topics.

The Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War confirmed that Russia had handed over the bodies. However, Ukraine announced the need to conduct an additional check, an examination is underway, the Telegram channel of the Coordination Headquarters says:

“During the latest repatriation efforts to Ukraine, the remains of the victims were transferred from the aggressor state, requiring additional identification. As of now, expert institutions, within the framework of criminal proceedings, are establishing whether the remains of these persons really belong to Ukrainian military personnel.”

Dmitry Lubinets, the Ukrainian ombudsman, wrote on social networks:

“Recently, there have been a number of repatriation measures, during which the remains of the victims were transferred to Ukraine. Identification is currently underway.”

The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War noted that they are monitoring the situation and are in cooperation with all authorized institutions. On November 8, during repatriation activities, the bodies of 563 Ukrainians were returned to Ukraine.

As our publication reported, the Russian military transport Il-76 plane crashed in the south of the Belgorod region in January 2024.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, there were 65 captured military personnel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, 6 crew members and 3 accompanying persons on board. The Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed the crash of the plane; sources in the General Staff claim that the plane was transporting missiles for the S-300 air defense system.

After the crash of the Russian Il-76 in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation, a number of Russian media outlets disseminated statements by Andrei Kartapolov, chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on Defense, that it allegedly contained dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war who were being taken for exchange. Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets said he was looking into the situation. The Main Intelligence Directorate only confirmed that an exchange of prisoners was planned for January 24.

A few hours after information about the downing of the Il-76 appeared, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces released a statement in which it hinted that the plane was a military target and was transporting ammunition for the Russian army. Later, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense stated that the exchange planned for January 24 did not take place, at the same time, the department emphasized that it does not have data on whether there were Ukrainian prisoners on board the crashed plane. On official website The GUR issued a statement:

“An exchange of prisoners was supposed to take place today, but it did not take place. According to the Russian side, this happened as a result of the downing of a Russian Il-76 aircraft, which was allegedly transporting our prisoners. Now we do not have reliable and comprehensive information about who exactly was on board the plane and in what quantity.

For its part, Ukraine has fulfilled all agreements to prepare the exchange. The Russian captured military personnel were delivered on time to the agreed exchange point, where they were safe. According to the agreements, the safety of Ukrainian soldiers was to be ensured by the Russian side.

The Ukrainian side was not informed of the need to ensure the security of airspace in the area of ​​​​the city of Belgorod during a certain period, as has been done repeatedly in the past.

Ukraine was not informed about the number of vehicles, routes and forms of delivery of prisoners. It is known that prisoners are delivered by air, rail, and road transport. This may indicate deliberate actions by Russia aimed at creating a threat to the life and safety of prisoners.

Landing a transport aircraft in a 30-kilometer combat zone cannot be safe and in any case must be discussed by both sides, otherwise it jeopardizes the entire exchange process.

Based on this, we can talk about planned and deliberate actions of the Russian Federation with the aim of destabilizing the situation in Ukraine and weakening international support for our state.”

Ombudsman Lubinets said that Ukraine has not yet seen any signs that there were a large number of prisoners of war on the Il-76 military aircraft that crashed in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation, as stated by the Russian Ministry of Defense. The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kirill Budanov, said that the situation with the Il-76 is unclear, since Russia does not show the corpses.

Russia did not provide the UN Security Council with evidence that there were Ukrainian prisoners of war on board the Il-76 military transport aircraft, and rejected the demand for an international commission to investigate what happened near Belgorod on January 24.

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