
Investigation into the crash of IL-76 in Belgorod: Presence of prisoners on board remains unconfirmed
The Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR) conducted an extensive investigation into the crash of the IL-76 aircraft in Belgorod region, which may have carried Ukrainian prisoners of war. Despite the discovery of several facts, the claim that Ukrainian POWs were on board remains unverified.
This was announced by Tetiana Katrychenko, the executive director of MIHR, during the presentation of the investigation at the Media Center Ukraine.
“It is certain that a plane crashed in the Belgorod region. It is also certain that a prisoner exchange was planned for that day. It is confirmed that several planes were used to transport prisoners for the exchange, and that the plane that crashed had previously landed at Belgorod airport. However, it remains uncertain whether there were prisoners on board,” she said.
According to Katrychenko, investigators have been able to gather information on 21 of the 65 servicemen who were reportedly seen in detention facilities in russia in January. They were being held in shared cells, not solitary confinement, and had been seen alive. Their health was relatively stable, and there was no indication that any of the detainees about whom information was obtained could have died in captivity.
“All these people were alive on January 23, and they were taken out of their cells at different times, probably for the exchange,” she added.
Katrychenko stressed that this investigation is the first step in uncovering all the facts and establishing the truth about what happened in the Belgorod region. The investigation will continue.
“We are not closing our investigation. This report primarily documents the facts and preserves the chronology of events to ensure that no evidence, screenshots, messages, or expert opinions are lost for further investigation,” she stressed.
As a reminder, on January 24, 2024, an IL-76 military transport plane crashed in the Belgorod region of russia. russia claimed that 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war were on board, being transported for an exchange, and blamed Ukraine for the crash.
For more details on the MIHR investigation, please follow the link provided.
Read more: https://mediacenter.org.ua/news