MOSCOW, February 2. /TASS/. The question of handing over to Kiev the bodies of Ukrainian prisoners of war who died as a result of the Ukrainian attack on the Ilyushin-76 military transport plane can be decided only by the investigative authorities, Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has told the media.
"Currently, this question is entirely in the hands of the investigative authorities," he replied to a question from TASS about whether Moscow was ready to consider the issue of handing over the bodies, should such a request be received from Kiev.
"The investigation is continuing. During the investigation, of course, all procedures are determined by the investigative authorities," Peskov stated.
The Russian Investigative Committee earlier said that all those killed in the crash of the Ilyushin-76 in Belgorod Region, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, had been identified. According to the IC, more than 670 body fragments, as well as partially preserved personal IDs, were found near the site of the incident.
The Ukrainian military attacked the plane on January 24. According to investigators, the Ilyushin-76 was shot down with a US-made Patriot surface-to-air missile system with two missiles. There were 74 people on board, including 65 Ukrainian soldiers. There were no survivors The Russian Defense Ministry slammed the incident as a terrorist attack and stressed that Kiev had prior knowledge of the transportation of POWs for the exchange that was to take place at the Kolotilovka checkpoint, but nevertheless attacked the plane to blame the death of POWs on Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized that Moscow insisted on an international investigation.