The main event on January 24 was the crash of the Russian transport plane Il-76 in the Belgorod region at around 11:00 local time. In the published videos, an explosion can be heard after the crash, followed by a large flame.

Russian Telegram channels were the first to report on the crash of the Russian military transport plane Il-76 in the Belgorod region. The incident occurred around 11:00 local time. In the published videos, an explosion can be heard after the crash, followed by a large flame.

Both black boxes of the downed Il-76 have been found. The Russian Ministry of Defense claims that there were supposedly 65 Ukrainian military servicemen from the Armed Forces of Ukraine on board, whom they allegedly planned to exchange. In addition, there were 6 crew members and 3 escorts. As reported by the NV publication, the Armed Forces are confident that Ukrainian prisoners of war were not on the plane. Instead, the Russians were transporting ammunition to the front.

What the Il-76 plane was transporting?

However, the Armed Forces are confident that there were no Ukrainian prisoners of war on the downed Il-76. According to NV, citing sources in the air force, several times a day, this plane was used by the occupiers to deliver ammunition to the front. This was their established route, and at least three times a day, they transported not only shells but also missiles for the S-300.

Similarly, Dmitry Lubinets, the authorized representative of the Verkhovna Rada on human rights, states that Ukraine has not seen any signs that there were a large number of people on the Russian Il-76 plane that crashed in the Belgorod region of Russia. And if the Russians had any photos or videos as evidence that our prisoners of war were on board, they would have already used them.

Could the plane be shot down on the day of a possible prisoner exchange?

The Il-76 plane detonated in the air. This is indicated by videos of the plane published online, said Major General of the Security Service of Ukraine, Viktor Yagun. Also, according to him, it is unlikely that Ukrainian prisoners of war were on board.

“It started exploding and burning in the air. And something started falling out of it. If you saw the video, you could see that several voluminous objects started falling out of it. What it was is unclear. At the moment, all civilian services – the Emergency Situations Ministry, an ambulance, some police – are withdrawn. The place is completely under military guard, only special services are working”, Yagun said.

According to him, during a prisoner exchange, no sharp movements are made to avoid disrupting the exchange.

“And if someone says that we were waiting for this plane to shoot it down, then I would look at the commander who would take responsibility for such things”, he said.

Who supposedly was on board among the “prisoners”?

It immediately becomes interesting who the members of the crew who died on board the Il are. So, investigative journalists of the Schemes program identified their surnames. And the relatives of these people confirmed the death of three of the six people on board – 36-year-old ship commander Stanislav Bezzubkin, ship navigator Alexei Vysokiy, and 38-year-old flight engineer Andrey Piluev.

The death of the ship’s commander was confirmed by his wife, who said that she was informed about it by the Russian Ministry of Defense. And she last spoke to her husband around 7:30 in the morning when he was supposed to take off from Moscow. The wife of the flight engineer said that she knows about his death, but she has not been officially provided with detailed information. The death of the navigator was confirmed by his cousin, who said that she learned about it from the parents of her beloved.

Military expert Roman Svitlan says that the Russian version regarding the crash of the Il-76 plane is poorly processed and voiced, as there are many conflicting statements. And information about prisoners on board does not sound reliable.

“The Il-76 took off from the Belgorod airport, at most, where it could fly – nearby, about 100 km, the transition, where the exchange of prisoners takes place. But the plane could not land there, and prisoners would not be dropped from the plane with parachutes”, he said.

“And the world community will now watch how ‘the Russians, like snakes in a frying pan, will twist out of their own statements”, he added.

On board the Il-76 plane that crashed in the Belgorod region, there were supposed to be military-political VIP figures from Russia

However, at the last moment, the FSB prohibited them from boarding. This was stated by the representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Andriy Yusov.

He mentioned that Ukrainian intelligence learned about all this after the plane crash. He also added that the video from the crash site does not show remnants of human bodies, and only five bodies were delivered to the local morgue in Belgorod yesterday.

Russian rescuers were not allowed to inspect the plane crash site. However, he emphasized that it is currently impossible to verify this information from other sources. Intelligence says it will provide this information for an international investigation.

Russia has used planes in previous exchanges of prisoners of war, but they warned in advance, said Andriy Yusov, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, in a comment to Radio Liberty. However, regarding the exchange planned for January 24, there were no such warnings, Yusov emphasized. Therefore, Ukraine assumes that Ukrainian prisoners could have been used as a living shield for transporting weapons.

Reactions to the crash of the Il-76 plane

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on the crash of the Russian Il-76 plane. This was reported by Telegraph. It is reported that the meeting will take place at midnight today. The publication suggests that Lavrov himself plans to participate in it, as he is currently in New York. Yesterday, Russia demanded an urgent convening of the Security Council due to the crash of the Russian plane. However, France, currently presiding in the Security Council, rejected Russia’s request and postponed the meeting.

Ukraine will insist on an international investigation into the crash of the Il-76 plane in the Belgorod region. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“It is necessary to establish all clear facts. As much as possible, given that the plane crash occurred on Russian territory – beyond our control. ‘Facts’ is the key word right now. I listened to the Chief Commander and the Chief of the General Staff regarding the use of the Air Force. The Main Intelligence Directorate is investigating the fate of all prisoners. The Security Service of Ukraine is investigating all circumstances. And I instructed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to inform partners about the available data in Ukraine. Our state will insist on an international investigation”, he said.

The ombudsman of the Verkhovna Rada for human rights, Dmytro Lubinets, will appeal to the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross regarding the crash of the Russian Il-76 and Russia’s statements that there were Ukrainian prisoners of war on board. According to the ombudsman, the current situation reminds him of the shelling of a colony with Ukrainian prisoners in Olenivka, when Russia accused Ukraine in a similar way. Lubinets said this in a telethon. According to him, Ukraine will demand a transparent international investigation. The ombudsman also asked everyone to calm down and wait for the official position of the Ukrainian authorities.

Russia is using the Il-76 crash to sow dissatisfaction in Ukraine, writes the Institute for the Study of War. In this way, the leadership of Russia is trying to undermine the West’s desire to help us. Immediately after the plane crash, the aggressor country began accusing Ukraine of terrorism and writing that supposedly there were prisoners of war on board. Military analysts note that the exchange is a sensitive issue for both Russia and Ukraine, and mentions of prisoners predictably provoke an emotional reaction. Russian officials also claimed that the IL was shot down by American or German missile systems, trying to manipulate the issue of Western support.

Photo: Open sources