The Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation Tatyana Moskalkova informed about her "readiness to hand over to Ukraine the bodies of people who allegedly died during the crash of the Il-76 military plane in the Belgorod region."
"Yes, we are ready, everything necessary for this from the point of view of the procedure is there... The bodies can be transferred according to the existing procedures," she noted.
At the same time, the Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubints emphasized that the Russian side is once again starting to speculate on the topic of the downfall of the IL-76. According to him, Russia still has not handed over official lists to Ukraine, has not confirmed the fact of the deaths of people, and has not granted international organizations access to the scene of the tragedy.
"Ukraineʼs position remains unchanged: we demand a transparent investigation, access to the place where the plane fell, and from the first day we demanded official lists and repatriation of bodies and conducting relevant examinations (in case of confirmation)," Lubinets emphasized.
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 there were 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, six crew members and three companions on board. 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 previously warned about the need for Belgorod airspace security during exchanges, but this time it was silent. Only five bodies were taken to the morgue in Belgorod, and Russian rescuers were not allowed to inspect the scene.
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 Zelensky 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.