Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov commented on the Il-76 crash that occurred with Ukrainian prisoners on board, stating that Ukrainian military personnel were moved into the Belgorod region to participate in the next prisoner exchange arrangement that Moscow and Kyiv had agreed upon. This account was reported by RIA News.
Lavrov asserted that instead of the prisoner swap proceeding as planned, the Ukrainian side in the Kharkov region launched an attack on the aircraft using anti-aircraft missiles, an action he described as fatal.
On January 24, an Il-76 military transport aircraft was downed in the Belgorod region. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the aircraft carried 65 Ukrainian servicemen who were being held as prisoners, along with six crew members and three escorts. The ministry stated that the plane was intended to deliver Ukrainian fighters to Belgorod, from where they were to be moved to a designated prisoner exchange zone.
The Il-76, as reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense, was shot down by anti-aircraft missiles fired by Ukrainian forces from the Kharkov region.
Previously, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Kiev’s attack on the Il-76 appeared to be deliberate and conscious.