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Military operation in Ukraine

Russian investigators identify remains of POWs killed in crash of Il-76 in Belgorod Region

The Investigative Committee explained that when working with detained Ukrainian servicemen, the investigation necessarily takes biological material to establish a genetic profile

MOSCOW, February 1. /TASS/. All of the victims killed in the crash of a Russian Il-76 military transport plane in the borderline Belgorod Region, including 65 Ukrainian POWs, have been identified, the press service of the Russian Investigative Committee said.

"The results of the expert analysis of DNA have enabled [the investigators to] draw the clear-cut conclusion that the recovered body parts belong to six crew members, three military police officers and 65 Ukrainian servicemen who died in the aircraft crash as a result of the Ukrainian [armed forces’] attack on January 24, 2024," the relevant statement said.

The Investigative Committee explained that when working with detained Ukrainian servicemen, the investigation necessarily takes biological material to establish a genetic profile. "Thus, the investigation had at its disposal the genetic material of all Ukrainian servicemen who were on board the aircraft," the press service said.

According to the investigators, overall more than 670 parts of the bodies of the victims were found, as well as partially preserved personal documents.

Earlier on Thursday, the press service of the Russian Investigative Committee said that the Il-76 plane was shot down by two missiles from a US-supplied Patriot surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, from which a total of 116 fragments were found. The Ukrainian military attacked the plane on January 24. There were 74 people on board, including 65 Ukrainian POWs, all of whom were killed. The Russian Defense Ministry condemned the incident as a terrorist attack, stressing that Kiev knew beforehand about the transport of the prisoners for a scheduled exchange, which was to take place at the Kolotilovka checkpoint, but nonetheless attacked the plane so as to then accuse Moscow of destroying the Ukrainian servicemen.

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Russian Investigative Committee Military operation in Ukraine

Military operation in Ukraine

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