Putin lies about IL-76 aircraft — HUR
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Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is lying when he claims that Russian air defense has never taken down its own aircraft, said Ukraine’s HUR military intelligence service spokesperson, Andriy Yusov, in an interview with Radio Svoboda on Jan. 29.
Russia came empty-handed to the UN Security Council meeting, failing to provide any details or evidence about supposed Ukrainian prisoners of war aboard the crashed IL-76 military transport aircraft in Belgorod Oblast, Yusov said.
"We were really hoping for some actual facts, not just a bunch of propaganda statements,” Yusov said.
“We saw nothing new, so the investigation is ongoing. As for the fate of these people, we must do everything possible to find out — it will definitely be done. The topic of an international investigation is definitely on the table for Ukraine."
Putin previously claimed that a Russian air defense system could not have shot down the IL-76, since Russian aircraft are equipped with the friend-or-foe (IFF) system. Yusov commented on Putin's remarks on the IL-76 aircraft, saying that he is "as always, lying."
Read also: UN unable to verify Ukrainian POWs on Russian IL-76, Ukraine calls for international investigation
"There have been repeated cases of ‘friendly fire’ and the shooting down of Russian aircraft by Russian air defense and anti-missile defense systems in various parts of both the Russian Federation and the occupied territories near the front line," he said.
Regarding the IFF system, Yusov said that it does not always work, and in the case of calculations of portable complexes, particularly those “saturating Belgorod," it is not a valid argument but “just an excuse.”
A Russian IL-76 military transport plane, designed to airlift troops, cargo, military equipment, and weapons, crashed in the Korocha district of the southern Belgorod Oblast, which borders Ukraine, on Jan. 24.
A video of the alleged crash appeared on social media. The footage showed the plane catching fire in the air and exploding in a huge fireball when it hit the ground.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that 65 Ukrainian POWs were on board, heading to Belgorod Oblast for a prisoner exchange. Russia accused Ukraine of taking down the plane.
Ukraine’s General Staff, as quoted by NV’s sister outlet Ukrainska Pravda, said the plane was transporting missiles for Russia’s S-300 air defense systems. There was no mention of prisoners of war.
Read also: Kremlin rejects international probe into IL-76 crash amid Zelenskyy's demand
However, Yusov said a prisoner exchange had been scheduled to take place. “I can state that the exchange planned for today is not going ahead,” he told Radio Svoboda.
Ukraine’s Armed Forces are not currently confirming that they downed the aircraft on the morning of Jan. 24, Armed Forces spokesperson Bohdan Senyk told NV.
The General Staff has officially stated that it tracks the launch sites of Russian missiles and the logistics of their delivery, especially by military transport aircraft, and will “continue to take measures to destroy delivery planes and control the airspace in order to destroy the terrorist threat”.
Russia did not warn Ukraine about the need to secure the airspace near Belgorod, as they had done before. Ukraine was also not informed about the form of delivery of the prisoners, the route, and the number of vehicles.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
