Russian Ombudsman Tatiana Moskalkova said that Russia allegedly handed over to Ukraine the bodies of prisoners of war who allegedly died as a result of the crash of an Il-76 transport plane over the Belgorod region in January 2024. Ukraine has not yet confirmed this information.
Moskalkova said about the transfer of the bodies in an interview with the RIA Novosti propaganda agency.
“They are transferred. It has already happened, and I was present,” Moskalkova said.
A representative of the Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War Petro Yatsenko said in a comment to Babel that during the last repatriation measures, the remains of the dead were transferred to Ukraine from the Russian Federation, which require additional identification.
"As of now, expert institutions are establishing within the framework of criminal proceedings whether the remains of these persons really belong to Ukrainian servicemen. The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War monitors the situation and is in cooperation with all authorized institutions," he emphasized.
What happened to the Russian IL-76
On the morning of January 24, 2024, 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 warned in the past about the need for the security of Belgorodʼs airspace during the exchanges, but was silent this time. 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 (SBU) opened criminal proceedings.
The then Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov stated in an interview with Babel that the Il-76 plane had indeed crashed in Russia, but, according to him, there were no Ukrainian prisoners of war on board.
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