MOSCOW, January 25. /TASS/. Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) was aware of the flight of the Ilyushin-76 transport plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war, but did not block the work of air defense on its route, the head of the State Duma’s Defense Committee Andrey Kartapolov told the media while commenting on the plane's crash in the Belgorod Region.
"The Ukrainian side had been officially notified. Fifteen minutes before the plane entered the zone, they were given full information, which they received and confirmed its receipt by the Main Intelligence Directorate," Kartapolov said. He stressed that after that "there should have followed the command 'Air, stop' for a certain sector."
"It was not issued. Instead, a command to open fire was given and the airplane with our crew and their soldiers was shot down," Kartapolov added.
The Kiev regime thus committed "another monstrous atrocity," he stressed. "The Ukrainian air defense system shot down an Ilyushin-76 airplane carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war, who were to be exchanged for our guys on that day. We need a very detailed, international probe into this issue in order to find out whose air defense missile system was used, who was at the control panel, who made the decision and who gave the command," Kartapolov said.
On January 24, the Ukrainian military shot down a Russian Ilyushin-76 military transport plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war for exchange over the territory of Belgorod Region. There were 74 people on board, including 65 Ukrainian military personnel. No one survived. The Russian Defense Ministry called what happened a terrorist act and stressed that Kiev had prior knowledge of the transportation of POWs for the exchange, which was to take place at the Kolotilovka border checkpoint, and attacked the plane in order to eventually accuse Moscow of the attack.