Citing American officials, The New York Times wrote that the Russian IL-76 plane that crashed near Belgorod was shot down with a Patriot air defense system.
At the same time, the USA will not officially comment on this. They know it was a Patriot missile, but they say the Ukrainian military didnʼt know the plane could be carrying prisoners, as Russia claims. This Il-76 used to carry missiles, which made it a target.
Whether there were prisoners on board is unknown. If there were, then Russia exaggerated the numbers, telling about 65 dead prisoners.
US officials have generally not criticized Ukraine for using the Patriot system to shoot down Russian aircraft. They believe that this is the innovation that Ukraine needs to use.
The Patriot was originally designed to shoot down aircraft, but after the Gulf War, it was redesigned for use primarily against tactical ballistic missiles as these weapons became more common and significant on the battlefield.
But now the Ukrainians have returned the Patriot to its origins. The newspaperʼs sources say that the Ukrainian military moved one Patriot launcher closer to the border, and then fired when the plane came into range.
This is not the first time that the Defense Forces of Ukraine have used the Patriot to shoot down Russian planes. This technique has been practiced since last spring.
What happened to the Russian IL-76
On the morning of January 24 , an Il-76 transport plane crashed in the Belgorod region of Russia. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation stated that it was shot down, and on board were 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, six crew members and three companions — all of them died. The Russian authorities announced the disruption of the exchange of prisoners. The Russian Federation did not provide any evidence that there were prisoners on the plane.
The Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine confirmed that the exchange was planned for January 24. They emphasized that Russia had warned in the past about the need for the security of Belgorodʼs airspace during exchanges, but was silent this time. On January 25, GUR said that there were supposed to be senior officials of the military and political leadership on board the downed Il-76, but the Russian FSB forbade them to fly at the "last moment." Only five bodies were taken to the morgue in Belgorod, and Russian rescuers were not allowed to inspect the scene.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine indirectly confirmed that Ukrainian troops shot down an Il-76, adding that the enemy uses such aircraft to deliver ammunition and missiles to Belgorod, which are used to fire at Kharkiv and the region. In its statement, the General Staff did not mention the alleged death of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
The commander of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces hinted that the statement of the Russians about the shooting down of their own prisoners of war by Ukraine is a discredit in order to reduce international support.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy instructed the military and special services to thoroughly understand the situation. Ukraine will insist on an international investigation of the event. The Security Service of Ukraine opened criminal proceedings.