CNN — Ukraine’s military intelligence official informed that intelligence indicates only five bodies were delivered to the morgue from the crash site of a Russian military transport plane. This raises doubts about Moscow’s claim that dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war perished in the explosion.
There were conflicting accounts from Moscow and Kyiv regarding the downing of the Ilyushin Il-76 on Wednesday in Russia’s Belgorod region, which is adjacent to eastern Ukraine. Whereas Moscow claimed the plane was carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war, Kyiv maintained it was transporting Russian missiles for further strikes on Ukraine.
The latest comments from Ukraine cast doubt on Moscow’s assertion that the IL-76 was carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war in preparation for an exchange.
Andriy Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (DI), mentioned to CNN that the number of bodies taken to the morgue matched the number of crew members on the plane, and no additional bodies were found.
Moscow claimed that all 74 people on board, including six crew members, three military escorts, and 65 Ukrainian servicemen, perished in the crash. However, Ukraine’s intelligence suggests otherwise.
Russia initially failed to provide visual evidence to support its claim of Ukrainian soldiers being on the plane. The first video from the crash site, broadcast on Russian state media, showed several dead bodies but no indication of numerous fatalities.
The Russian Investigative Committee released a second video on Thursday, purportedly from the crash site, showing human remains in the snow. However, it is uncertain whether the human remains shown are at the same location as the plane remnants.
CNN geolocated the two videos released by Russia’s Investigative Committee of the crash site, matching the location of a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image taken by Umbra Space for CNN. The SAR image showed a debris field just under a mile long, strewn across the crash site of the Il-76.
Both Moscow and Kyiv confirmed that a prisoner exchange was planned for Wednesday, with the swap set to take place about 60 kilometers west of Belgorod city. Ukraine’s ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets mentioned in a televised interview that the swap was scheduled, and the institution’s representatives were present.
Yusov stated that Ukraine had not been notified about the prisoners being flown into the region, instead of being transferred by road or rail.
Yusov also claimed that Russian IL-76 aircraft were frequently used to transport S-300 missiles to forward positions, implying that Russia was restocking its missiles in Belgorod region after several attacks on the nearby Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.
Yusov’s remarks, casting doubt on Moscow’s account, echoed similar sentiments expressed by Mykola Oleschuk, commander of the Ukrainian air force, who accused Russia of spreading fake information to discredit Ukraine.
Lubinets also criticized Moscow’s unverified account as part of a pre-planned campaign to tarnish Ukraine’s image. He mentioned sending official letters to the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), inquiring whether they were informed by Russia about a transfer of prisoners of war by plane.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) initiated a criminal investigation into the crash and called for an international probe, claiming there was no evidence of Ukrainian citizens being killed on board and disputing the credibility of Russian official statements.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov refrained from discussing any instructions from Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the military plane crash, stating that an investigation is ongoing. He described the downing of the IL-76 as a “monstrous act” considering the alleged presence of Ukrainian servicemen who were due to return home soon.
