Just excuse: Ukraine's intelligence reacts to Putin's statements about Il-76 crash
Andrii Yusov, representative of the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (Photo: Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Dictator Vladimir Putin, as always, lies when he says that the anti-aircraft defense never shot down Russian planes, says the representative of the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense, Andrii Yusov.
"In regards to the statements of a person resembling Putin in this situation, he, as always, is lying. Firstly, cases of 'friendly fire' and the downing of Russian aircraft by Russian air defense and anti-missile systems have been repeatedly documented in various parts of the Russian Federation, including occupied territories, near the front line. Moreover, when it comes to the friend or foe system, it does not always work, and in the case of calculations of portable complexes, which are also abundant in Belgorod, it is not an argument at all. Therefore, these words are, of course, more of an excuse," says Yusov.
The representative of the military intelligence specifically notes that during the meeting of the UN Security Council, the terrorist country did not provide any details or evidence that Ukrainian prisoners of war were on board the Il-76. According to him, he expects that, against the backdrop of a stream of propagandistic statements, Russia would be able to provide some evidence; however, nothing new was presented, and the investigation continues.
"As for the fate of these people, of course, we must make every effort to find out, and this will definitely be done. The issue of international investigation for Ukraine is certainly not closed," Yusov emphasizes.
What Putin said
Commenting on the downing of the Il-76 aircraft in the Belgorod region, the dictator claimed that the plane was allegedly hit by the Ukrainian military using foreign-made air defense systems.
"Our air defense systems cannot by their definition strike our own plane. There are friend or foe systems installed, and no matter how much the operator presses the button, our air defense systems would not have worked," Putin stated.
Russian Il-76 plane crash
On January 24, a Russian military transport aircraft Il-76 crashed in the Korochansky district of the Belgorod region. According to sources of RBC-Ukraine, the aircraft was carrying missiles for the S-300 air defense system. At the same time, Russia claims that there were 65 prisoners, 6 crew members, and 3 accompanying individuals on board the aircraft.
Later, the Defense Intelligence confirmed that on January 24, an exchange of prisoners of war was supposed to take place.
According to Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, there is no evidence to suggest that dozens of people were on board the Il-76, as claimed by Russia
