(Dan Tri) – Ukrainian officials called for an international investigation into the crash of the Russian Il-76 transport plane, killing all 74 people on board, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war.
Screenshot shows fire rising at the scene of the Russian Il-76 plane crash in Belgorod on January 24 (Photo: Telegram).
In a speech on the evening of January 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for an international investigation to clarify the cause of the crash of the Russian Il-76 transport plane on the same day.
`We need to collect as much authentic evidence as possible, especially when the incident occurred on Russian territory, beyond our control. Authentic evidence is the most important keyword. I have heard
He added that he had heard reports from Ukraine’s military, intelligence and security leaders about the plane crash.
`The Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Agency is also trying to find out the fate of all prisoners of war on the plane, while the Security Service of Ukraine investigates possible theories. I have directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to inform
He accused Russia of `playing with the lives of Ukrainian prisoners of war, playing with the feelings of their relatives, the attitudes of public opinion`.
The above comment was made after a Russian Air Force Il-76 transport plane crashed in Korocha, Belgorod region (Russia) while carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war to the border to conduct a Russian-Ukrainian prisoner exchange.
The Russian Ministry of Defense later accused Ukraine of shooting down the plane.
Russia requested an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the plane crash.
In a related development, the General Staff of Ukraine said on the same day that recent attacks on the Ukrainian city of Kharkov (about 30km from the Russian border) were carried out by Russian transport planes carrying weapons.
`The recorded intensity of shelling is directly related to the recent increase in the number of military transport aircraft heading to Belgorod airport. Therefore, the Ukrainian army will continue to take measures to destroy
However, the Ukrainian General Staff did not mention the crash of the Russian Il-76 plane or whether Kiev was involved in the incident or not.
On the US side, the White House said it was collecting more information about the plane crash.
The plane crashed near the Russia-Ukraine border (Map: Mapbox).
Nick John