Ukraine made a request to Russian officials with the demand to return the bodies of prisoners of war who allegedly died during the accident of the Il-76 military plane in Belgorod on January 24. As expected, Moscow ignored the appeal.
Andrii Yusov, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate, told about this on the air of the national telethon.
He emphasized that the large-scale exchange of prisoners of war on January 31 was practically the end of the operation, which was interrupted by a high-profile plane crash. At the time, Russia said that 65 Ukrainian soldiers, who were supposedly being transported for exchange, had died when the IL-76 crashed.
— Ukraine applied and continues to apply for the transfer of bodies. So far, the Russian side is not going for it, – Yusov said.
Therefore, Kyiv has no reason to trust Moscow’s version, and all 65 Ukrainian soldiers remain in the status of prisoners of war, and work will continue on each of them for exchange.
The fall of IL-76: what is known
In the afternoon of January 24, it became known that a Russian Il-76 military transport plane crashed in the Korochan district of the Belgorod region.
According to the Russian side, he allegedly transported Ukrainian prisoners. At the time, the Main Directorate of Intelligence did not confirm or deny this information, not having direct facts.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed the information about the crash of the Il-76 plane . They claim that the plane was carrying missiles for the S-300 air defense system, which have recently been used to attack Kharkiv from the Belgorod region.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the same evening that Ukraine will insist on an international investigation into all the circumstances of the crash of the military transport plane.
