MIHR investigation into crash of Il-76 over Belgorod: Fact of POWs being on board remains unconfirmed
The fact of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) being on board the Il-76 aircraft that crashed in Belgorod region in January 2024 remains unconfirmed, according to the results of an investigation by the Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR).
"The fact that some plane crashed in Belgorod region is a fact. That there was supposed to be a prisoner exchange that day is a fact. That prisoners of war were delivered by several planes for the exchange is a fact. That the plane that crashed was landing at the Belgorod airport is a fact. But it is not certain whether there were prisoners of war on board," executive director of the International Humanitarian Institution Tetiana Katrychenko said during the presentation of the investigation at Ukraine Media Center.
According to her, the investigators managed to find information about 21 of the 65 servicemen who were seen in places of detention on the Russian territory during January. They were in common cells, not in solitary confinement, they were seen. Their health condition was relatively stable, and there was no reason to say that the prisoners about whom they managed to find out information could have died in places of detention.
"All of these people were alive as of January 23 and they were taken out of the cells at different times, moved, probably for exchange," Katrychenko said.
She also said in addition to the Il-76 aircraft, which could have had Ukrainian prisoners of war on board, there was presumably another aircraft with prisoners.
"We managed to find out that at the same time in the sky over Belgorod region or approaching, there was at least one more aircraft, also carrying prisoners of war," Katrychenko said.
She recalled that on the eve of the crash, the Russian side announced that an exchange of prisoners was planned, about 200 POWs were to be exchanged at that time.
"If we count how many people were on board one aircraft, on board another aircraft, and could still be on the way, since we found prisoners of war taken out of the cells on the eve of the exchange, but they were not put on the plane, then the figure was about 200," she said.
She said this investigation is the first step towards establishing all the facts and the objective truth about what happened on the territory of Belgorod region and will continue.
"We are not finishing our investigation. This material is more about stating the facts, about preserving the chronology of events in order not to lose evidence, not to lose a single screenshot, news, expert opinion, in order to continue the investigation," she said.
As reported, on January 24, 2024, an Il-76 military aircraft crashed in Russia's Belgorod region.
After the crash of the Russian Il-76 in Russia's Belgorod region, Russian media reported statements by chairman of the State Duma Committee on Defense Andrei Kartapolov that it allegedly contained dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war who were being transported for exchange.
The Ukrainian Intelligence Agency confirmed that an exchange of prisoners was being prepared for January 24.
On December 9, the Russian side announced that it had handed over to Ukraine the bodies of the prisoners of war who were on board the Il-76.