Supposedly dead prisoners of war
Kyiv wants to see bodies after plane crash
January 28, 2024, 12:54 a.m
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Were there actually Ukrainian prisoners of war on board the crashed Russian military aircraft Il-76? In Kiev there are great doubts about the portrayal of the Kremlin. Above all, the fact that Russia does not show photos of the alleged victims for propaganda purposes is causing skepticism.
After the shooting down of a Russian Il-76 military aircraft, the head of the Ukrainian military intelligence service (HUR), Kyrylo Budanov, has cast doubt on Moscow’s claim that 65 Ukrainian soldiers were killed shortly before a prisoner exchange. “There are some points that are not clear,” Budanov said in an interview with Ukrainian state television. He wondered why the Russian authorities did not publish pictures of the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers.
The Russians “did not show the field littered with corpses and remains” that they should have shown in order to assign maximum blame to Ukraine, said Budanov. “If it happened as Russia claims, why does Russia continue to hide the bodies?” the intelligence chief added.
The Ilyushin transport plane crashed on Wednesday about 50 kilometers from the border with Ukraine. According to Moscow, they were hit by rockets. Accordingly, the plane with 65 Ukrainian soldiers on board was on the way to a prisoner exchange. According to Russian authorities, all 74 passengers died in the crash.
Moscow shows three videos
The Russian Investigative Committee has released three videos supposedly showing the crash site. One of them contains a blurred image of a corpse, while another shows forensic experts carrying a single body bag. “There are no corpses. There is nothing at all,” commented Budanov.
Ukraine has confirmed that a prisoner exchange was planned. However, she was not informed that the soldiers would be transported to the border by plane. Both Kiev and Moscow launched criminal investigations to investigate the crash. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj also called for an international investigation.
Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin accused Ukrainian military intelligence of knowing that there were 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war on board the plane. He blamed Ukraine for the deaths. “I don’t know if they did it intentionally or accidentally, but it is obvious that they did it,” the Russian president said.