Russia on Thursday (Jan 25) opened a “terrorism” investigation into the deadly plane crash near the border with Ukraine after accusing Kyiv of shooting down the aircraft, in which it claimed to have 60 Ukrainian war prisoners onboard.
“A criminal case under a terrorist act is being investigated in the Belgorod region on the Il-76 plane,” said Russia’s Investigative Committee, which investigates major crimes, in a statement.
The Investigative Committee said that “experienced detectives, criminalists and experts” were working at the scene, further stating that “the plane was downed by a “missile from the territory of Ukraine”.
“Fragmented remains of people were found, as well as the flight recorders of the aircraft, which were sent for decoding,” it stated.
The Committee added that it was working to identify “persons among the Ukrainian armed forces” which it said were behind the crash.
Zelensky accuses Russia of ‘playing with lives of Ukrainian soldiers’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of “playing with the lives of Ukrainian prisoners” after all 65 Ukrainian inmates were killed in a deadly plane crash in western Russia.
President Zelensky further called for an international inquiry into the crash which took place in the Belgorod region near Ukraine’s border.
On the other hand, Russia stated that no one survived in the plane crash which occurred after Kyiv downed the Il-76 plane, which was carrying six Russian crew, 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, and three escorts.
Moscow claimed that the Ukrainians were being taken in the plane as a prisoner exchange.
Ukraine says no safe airspace requests made
However, Ukraine’s military intelligence (GUR) said they had not been asked to ensure safe airspace, as on earlier occasions.
The GUR further emphasised that they did not have any reliable information about who was present on board and added the incident may have been a result of “planned and deliberate actions by Russia”.
President Zelensky, in a video address on Wednesday (Jan 24), said that it was “obvious that the Russians are playing with the lives of Ukrainian prisoners, with the feelings of their relatives and with the emotions of our society”.
Zelensky further emphasised that “all clear facts must be established”. Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the downing of the plane a “monstrous act”, as per Russian news agencies.
Speaking to the reporters, he said that if Zelensky has called for an international inquiry into “the criminal actions of the Kyiv regime”, then it was definitely needed, reported BBC.
Ukraine appeals to UN, and Red Cross to inspect plane crash site
Ukraine appealed to the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross on Thursday (Jan 25) to inspect the site of the crashed plane carrying Ukrainian servicemen.
“I will ask that representatives of these organisations join the inspection of the scene,” said Ukraine’s rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, in a statement.
Watch: Russian military plane crash: Ukrainian President Zelensky calls for an international probe
In the video shared on social media, the plane was seen going down after an explosion occurred near the village of Yablonovo, northeast of the city of Belgorod.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, Belgorod’s regional governor said that the aeroplane crashed in a field which was close to a residential area.
Speaking to the Ukrainska Pravda website Ukraine’s general staff said that the plane was initially transporting missiles needed for S-300 air defence systems of Russia and no mention of POWs was made.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military intelligence said that it was the responsibility of Russia “to ensure the safety of our defenders under the agreements that had been reached”.
Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.
(With inputs from agencies)
