Russia says Ukraine had 15 minutes warning of prisoner flight

Moscow accused Kyiv of shooting down an Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft in Russia's Belgorod region, killing all 74 people on board, including 65 captured Ukrainian soldiers who were en route to be exchanged with Russian prisoners. The Russian Investigative Committee said on Thursday that the plane was hit by a Ukrainian-made surface-to-air missile.

Russia says Ukraine was warned 15 minutes before the plane carrying prisoners was shot down (Figure 1). — The scene where a Russian Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane was shot down in the village of Yablonovo in the Belgorod region of Russia on January 24, 2024. Photo: Russian Investigative Committee

Ukraine denies receiving any warning. It has neither confirmed nor denied that its forces shot down the plane, but has not confirmed the details of the Russian account and has called for an international investigation.

According to MP and General Andrei Kartopolov, who spoke to Russian lawmakers: “The Ukrainian side was officially warned, and 15 minutes before the plane entered the area, they were given full information.” He said the Ukrainian military command confirmed receiving the warning.

His statement contradicts claims by Ukrainian military intelligence that Russia had not informed them of the flight. Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andriy Yusov said Kyiv had received no request from Russia to refrain from attacks on the airspace where the plane was shot down.

He said on Ukrainian state television on Thursday: “No evidence has been presented for the allegations… Nothing has been presented to prove the wreckage and the presence of people on board the plane.”

Conflicting accusations from both sides are common in the conflict, which is about to mark its two-year anniversary, between Russia and Ukraine. However, the downing of the plane carrying prisoners is the most dangerous incident of its kind to occur on Russian territory.

Russia says Ukraine was warned 15 minutes before the plane carrying prisoners was shot down (Figure 2). — A piece of wreckage from the downed plane carrying prisoners of war. Photo: Russian Investigative Committee.

The United Nations Security Council met on Thursday at Russia's request to discuss the downed plane. UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo told the council that the UN does not have the authority to verify the circumstances of the crash.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that its air defense forces had been operating in the early morning hours of the incident and had shot down a Ukrainian drone in the area.

The state news agency TASS, citing Russian emergency services, reported on Thursday that fragments of a missile had been found at the crash site in the Belgorod region of southwestern Russia, near the border with Ukraine.

In a statement posted on the Telegram messaging app, Russian investigators said their "preliminary" conclusion was that the plane had been hit by a Zenit-series anti-aircraft missile and that a criminal investigation had been opened.

Hoang Anh (according to TASS, Reuters)

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