Il-76 transported missiles to Engels air base and Belgorod: Ukraine's intelligence reveals new details
Andrii Yusov, representative of the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (Photo: Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The Russian plane that crashed near Belgorod on January 24 had previously transported weaponry to the airfield in Engels and directly to Belgorod, according to a representative of the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Andrii Yusov.
According to him, the Il-76 aircraft was spotted at the Engels-2 airport, which is used to support the strategic aviation of the Russian Federation. This includes the missiles that Russia launches from aircraft over the territory of Ukraine.
"This is the plane that delivered S-300 and S-400 missiles to the Belgorod region for strikes on Kharkiv and the surrounding area. The Russians themselves say that the measures used to supply forces and means of the enemy are used simultaneously, presumably for transporting prisoners," Yusov says.
He notes that if this is indeed the case, then the Russians have essentially admitted to another war crime.
Russian Il-76 aircraft crash
On January 24, in the Korochansky district of the Belgorod region, a Russian military transport aircraft Il-76 crashed. RBC-Ukraine sources report that the aircraft was transporting missiles for the S-300 air defense system.
However, Russia claimed that the plane supposedly transported 65 Ukrainian military prisoners, six crew members, and three escorts. Russia accuses Ukraine of shooting down the aircraft.
The Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense confirmed that an exchange was supposed to take place yesterday. However, the statement that Ukrainian prisoners were on the plane is not confirmed by intelligence.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy later stated that the Russians were playing with the lives of Ukrainian prisoners. He called for an international investigation.
On January 25, it became known that the Security Service of Ukraine had opened a case regarding the crash of the Il-76 in the Belgorod region. The investigation is carried out under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (violation of the laws and customs of war).
