Downing of Il-76: Media Center Ukraine has compiled all the current updates

— On Wednesday afternoon, January 24, an Il-76 military transport plane crashed in Belgorod region of the Russian Federation.

— The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation stated that the IL-76 was allegedly shot down by the Armed Forces of Ukraine from an air defense system stationed in the vicinity of Lyptsi, Kharkiv region. Allegedly the plane was carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, who were being transported to Belgorod region for a prisoner exchange. There were also six crew members and three guards on the plane. Everyone on board died.

— The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine stated that at the moment they cannot confirm involvement in the downing of the Il-76, as well as the information that there were Ukrainian prisoners of war on board.

— The Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine confirmed that a prisoner exchange with Russia was to take place today. Andriy Yusov, representative of the Defense Intelligence, stated that “the exchange planned for today is currently not taking place.”

— Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets reacted to the IL-76 crash. He said that he was looking into the details of the situation, and urged not to succumb to provocations. “The enemy is treacherous. And we all know what terrible methods the Russian Federation can use to destabilize the Ukrainian society,” he wrote.

— In total, over 8,000 people are currently held in Russian captivity, of whom more than 1,600 are civilians, claimed the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. Tens of thousands of people are still missing in action.

— The Il-76 plane could have been shot down by Russian anti-aircraft defense, said Nico Lange, Senior Fellow at the Munich Security Conference. He added that the Russians constantly use S-300 systems in this sector.

Read more: https://mediacenter.org.ua/news