Moscow claims that the Russian military plane that crashed on Thursday, January 25, with 65 Ukrainian prisoners on board, was shot down by an “American Patriot system”.
The Il-76 military plane that crashed in Russia last week, according to Moscow, with Ukrainian prisoners on board, was shot down “with precision” using the “American Patriot system”, President Vladimir Putin said this Wednesday, January 31.
“The plane was shot down, it has already been established with certainty by the American Patriot system,” Vladimir Putin said at an event in Moscow.
“The fact that they shot down a plane that had their soldiers on it allows us to assume that they did it accidentally. But it’s still a crime,” he continued, noting that Kiev would “retaliate” against Russia. ” wants to “provoke”.
A week after the crash of a Russian military plane near the border with Ukraine, many questions remain.
Ukraine has requested the opening of an international investigation
Russia has confirmed that the Ukrainian military shot down a plane carrying 74 people, including, according to Moscow, 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war who were about to be exchanged. But at this stage, Russian authorities have not provided evidence with certainty that Ukrainian prisoners of war were there and that Kiev knew it, as Moscow claims.
Ukraine, for its part, has not directly commented on its possible involvement in the incident and has expressed doubts about the presence of its troops on board.
Authorities in Kiev, however, confirmed that a prisoner exchange had been planned for the day of the crash, and ultimately did not take place. Volodymyr Zelensky also called for an international investigation.
“We demand and insist that there be an international investigation,” Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.
But “there are no international organizations willing to do that,” he assured.
Earlier on Wednesday, Moscow and Kiev announced they had exchanged nearly 200 prisoners of war from each side, despite tensions over the crash of a Russian military plane.
“We will not stop the exchange. We have our own men to bring back,” the Russian president justified.
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