Captured Ukrainian fighter Roman Tutov from the Azov regiment (an organization banned in Russia) admitted that he was afraid to return to his hometown due to the crash of an Il-76 plane in the Belgorod region. His words are quoted RIA News.
The soldier explained that even if the prisoners were exchanged, there was a risk that the plane he was in would be exposed to missile fire. In this case, we are talking about a projectile launched precisely by soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
“To be honest, it’s very scary,” Tutov emphasized.
He added that the crash of the Il-76 plane was “nonsense” and the result of a serious crime. According to the Ukrainian fighter, everyone involved in this emergency must be brought to justice.
“If this was negligence, I hope someone will pay for it. And if it was intentional <…> “I don’t understand what happened then,” the soldier said.
On January 24, 2024, an Il-76 aircraft was shot down near the Belgorod village of Yablonovo, heading towards the administrative center of the region. on the plane there was 65 captured soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be delivered to Belgorod and then transferred to the exchange zone.
However, on the way, a missile fired by Ukrainian troops hit the plane. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the projectile was launched from the territory of the Kharkov region. As Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said, there was no one on the plane save defective.
Previously Russian President Vladimir Putin statedIt was stated that Ukrainian intelligence was aware of the existence of Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers captured on Il-76.