Zelensky demands an international investigation into the Il-76 crash

Ukraine is clarifying the circumstances of the Il-76 plane crash in the Belgorod region and will also demand an international investigation. This was stated by the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky.

He clarified that he had summoned the heads of the country’s security forces in connection with the crash of the Il-76, and heard reports from the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny, the Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate Kirill Budanov, the head of the SBU Vasily Malyuk and the chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Sergei Shaptala. According to Zelensky, he demanded that all the facts be clearly established. “As much as possible, given that the plane crashed on Russian territory,” Zelensky noted in the address, as quoted by Kommersant.

Zelensky noted that the Main Intelligence Directorate is clarifying the fate of prisoners of war who, according to the Russian side, were on board the plane. The SBU is investigating the circumstances of the disaster. “Our state will insist on an international investigation,” Zelensky added.

It should be noted that the Ukrainian media were the first to publish data that the Ukrainian Armed Forces shot down a plane that was allegedly transporting missiles to the S-300 complexes; Nezavisimaya Gazeta drew attention to this. However, after the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that there were 65 captured military personnel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on board the crashed Il-76, transported to the Belgorod region for exchange, information about the involvement of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the plane crash was deleted.

Let us remind you that the Il-76 crashed on January 24 in the Korochansky district of the Belgorod region. The Russian Federation reported that it was shot down from an anti-aircraft missile system of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. As a result, everyone on board died – 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, six crew members and three accompanying persons. It was noted that prisoners of war were presumably transported for exchange with the Ukrainian side.

The Russian Foreign Ministry later called the incident “an act of insane barbarism,” and Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev called it “the result of the internal political struggle of neo-Nazi elites in Kyiv.”