The examination preliminary showed that the Il-76 plane was shot down by a Western anti-aircraft missile system (SAM). A representative of emergency services reported this on January 31 “RIA News”.
“A preliminary examination of the destructive elements found in the aircraft shows that the missile belongs to a Western-made air defense system,” he said.
Il-76 crashed in the Belgorod region on the morning of January 24. The Russian Ministry of Defense said that the plane was shot down by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) using two missiles, and called the incident a terrorist act of the Kyiv regime. On board the plane were six crew members, 65 Ukrainian prisoners for exchange and three Russian military personnel accompanying them. Everyone died. The department noted that the Ukrainian leadership pursued the goal of blaming Russia for the destruction of the Ukrainian military.
Immediately after the incident, Ukrainian media stated that the plane was shot down by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. However, later publications edited the materials, removing information about Kyiv’s responsibility for what happened. The Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine stated that the country allegedly did not know who was on board the plane, while they confirmed that an exchange of prisoners of war was to take place between the parties on that day.
Commenting on the situation with the downed plane, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on January 26 that there is a number of evidence confirming Kyiv’s involvement in the plane crash, in particular the fact that the plane was attacked with the help of air defense systems. He emphasized that Russian systems, by definition, cannot strike their own aircraft thanks to the “friend or foe” system.
Later, on January 27, the media reported that the Ukrainian coordination headquarters for the treatment of prisoners of war recognized the authenticity of the list of military personnel on board the Il-76.
On January 30, it also became known that the data from the flight recorders of the plane shot down by the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Belgorod confirmed an external impact. It was noted that all other possible versions of the plane crash are excluded.
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