Russia and Ukraine are embroiled in a contentious dispute over the bodies of those killed in the crash of a Russian military transport plane, with Moscow claiming that the victims were Ukrainian prisoners of war. A Ukrainian intelligence official revealed that Kyiv has urged Moscow to release the bodies of the deceased from the January 24 crash, an appeal that was reportedly rebuffed by Moscow.
Andrii Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence, reiterated Kyiv’s call for an international investigation into the crash over the Russian region of Belgorod to ascertain whether the cargo plane was carrying weapons or passengers in addition to the crew.
In response to Ukraine’s request, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that the Kremlin had not received a formal Ukrainian plea regarding the return of the bodies. Putin has emphasized the need for an international inquiry into the plane’s downing, labeling it a “crime” by Ukraine and expressing Russia’s insistence on such an investigation.
The crash of the Ilyushin Il-76 plane, which Russia alleges was carrying 65 Ukrainian POWs, resulted in the death of 74 individuals, including six crew members and three Russian servicemen. Despite Russia’s claim about the prisoners, their status could not be independently verified.
According to Russia’s Investigative Committee, the plane was allegedly brought down by a US-made Patriot missile defense system, provided to Ukraine by Western allies. The committee mentioned recovering 116 fragments of two missiles fired from a Patriot system near the village of Lyptsi in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, which is situated across the border from Belgorod.
Despite the crash, both nations completed a prisoner exchange, swapping 195 POWs each, and the ongoing war, which is approaching its two-year mark, continues to escalate.
Ukraine recently announced using sea drones to attack and destroy a Russian warship in the Black Sea near the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula. Additionally, in Kryvyi Rih, the home city of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a drone strike damaged an energy facility, leaving 100,000 recipients without electricity and 113 coal miners stranded underground in two mines. Fortunately, all the miners were rescued after power was partially restored.
The situation between Russia and Ukraine remains highly volatile, with continued hostilities and escalating tensions.
