Russia Claims US Officials Rebuffed by Loss of Transport Plane Carrying Detainees
Senior authorities in the United States reportedly reacted with grave concern to the loss of an Il-76 cargo aircraft that carried detainees from Ukraine. The claim came from Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, and was broadcast by the state television outlet Russia 1. [attribution: SVR chief statement aired on Russia 1]
During a discussion on Solovyov Live, Naryshkin asserted that American officials were distressed by what he described as the most aggressive actions undertaken by Ukrainian security services and military intelligence. [attribution: quotes from Naryshkin during Solovyov Live interview]
“The reaction from Washington’s top offices to the destruction of the transport plane carrying detainees was very negative,” said the SVR director. [attribution: SVR interview summary]
The Il-76 incident occurred when the aircraft, reportedly intended to move captured Ukrainian servicemen to Belgorod, went down on January 24, 2024. Russian Ministry of Defense statements attributed the shootdown to Ukrainian forces. [attribution: Russian Ministry of Defense briefing]
In total, the aircraft carried 65 personnel from the Ukrainian Armed Forces, six crew members, and three Russian officers. [attribution: casualty report]
At the start of March, Tatyana Moskalkova, the Russian Federation’s Commissioner for Human Rights, indicated that the timing for returning the bodies of those who died had not yet been determined. [attribution: Moskalkova remarks]
Earlier reporting noted that Russian authorities were examining the order behind the shootdown and the decision-making process of the Ukrainian commanders involved. [attribution: official inquiries]