Russia Accuses Ukraine for Il-76 Crash

Russia Blames Ukraine for Il-76 Crash, Russian Il-76 transport plane, purportedly transporting Ukrainian prisoners of war, met with a tragic crash in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast, as per the information provided by the Russian Defense Ministry.

Ukrainian online publication Ukrainska Pravda stated, citing Ukrainian military sources, that the plane was carrying S-300 weapons. This information was also sent to Ukrinform by military sources. Ukrainska Pravda initially claimed that Ukrainian soldiers shot down the airliner, however this information was later denied. The site stated that another of its sources did not validate this report. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, 65 Ukrainian POWs, six crew members, and three accompanying civilians were aboard the fatally crashed plane en route to a prisoner exchange.

Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) acknowledged that a prisoner exchange was scheduled for January 24 but did not take place, and that it is verifying the Russian claim about the Ukrainian POWs. HUR claimed that the Russian side failed to warn it of the necessity to maintain airspace safety before the jet crashed above Belgorod.

Although it did not explicitly indicate that Ukraine was involved in the plane crash, the Ukrainian General Staff did say that as Russian strikes escalate, they are keeping a careful eye on Russian missile launch sites and delivery logistics, especially the usage of military transport aircraft.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine demanded an international probe and stated that his country is attempting to gather additional information about the tragedy in an evening speech. In his appeal for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov asserted that the plane was shot down by Ukrainian air defenses operating from northern Kharkiv Oblast.

Zelensky refused to speculate on the crash’s cause “given that the downing of the plane occurred on Russian territory, which is beyond our control, It is obvious that the Russians are playing with the lives of Ukrainian prisoners, with their relatives’ feelings and with our society’s emotions,” Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine had informed its allies.

The White House is “not in a position to confirm them,” according to National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby. “We are making every effort to obtain further clarity and information,” he added. The investigation project Schemes from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has successfully identified the names of the crew members of the Il-76 transport plane.

According to reports from journalists, a list of the six-person crew that was meant to accompany the flight has been obtained. The team consisted of Commander Stanislav Bezzubikin, flight engineer Andrey Piluyev, and the ship’s navigator Alexey Vysokin, all highly experienced professionals in their respective roles.

As per Schemes, the wives of Bezzubkin and Piluyev confirmed their deaths, while Vysokin’s cousin confirmed his death to journalists. Schemes journalists also identified flight radioman Igor Sablinsky as a member of the Il-76 crew. “A transport plane crashed in the Korochansky District,” stated Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, asserting that it descended in a field and resulted in the loss of all lives on board.

The Ilyushin Il-76 is a heavy transport plane designed for the efficient transportation of military cargo and troops across extensive distances. Equipped with dual guns in a rear turret, this aircraft has an impressive maximum payload capacity of 80 metric tons. One notable aspect of the Il-76 is its ability to function in airports without loading devices or unpaved runways.

Il-76 aircraft has frequently been utilized for delivering humanitarian aid to regions affected by natural calamities.

As per the report from the monitoring group Belarusian Hajun, it has been observed that Il-76 aircraft were utilized by Russia to transport S-300 missiles to Belarus. The Il-76 has the capacity to transport more than 100 paratroopers in a single mission.

It has been reported that Russia has experienced the loss of several of these aircraft since the commencement of the full-scale war. Reports indicate that several aircraft, including Il-76 planes, were destroyed at the Saky airfield in Crimea in August 2022. Ukraine did not confirm or deny its participation.

In August 2023, a Ukrainian special operation successfully neutralized four Russian Il-76 aircraft at a military airfield in the Russian city of Pskov.

The crash that occurred adds to the series of aircraft losses that Russia has experienced recently. In a recent incident, the Ukrainian military claimed to have successfully taken down a Russian Beriev A-50 military observation plane and an Ilyushin Il-22 plane, which serves as an airborne command post.