CNN – Ukraine has reported having intelligence that indicates only five bodies were brought from the crash site of a Russian military transport plane to a nearby morgue. A Ukraine military intelligence official told CNN that these findings challenge Moscow’s claim that numerous Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed in the explosion.
The conflicting accounts of the downing of the Ilyushin Il-76 on Wednesday in Russia’s Belgorod region have been given by both Moscow and Kyiv. Russia alleges that the plane was carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war, while Kyiv states it was transporting Russian missiles intended for further strikes on Ukraine.
Recent statements from Ukraine suggest growing confidence that the IL-76 plane, which crashed in the village of Yablonovo, may not have been carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war as claimed by Moscow.
Andriy Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (DI), informed CNN that the number of bodies taken to the morgue matched the number of crew members on the plane. He stated that no additional bodies were detected.
Moscow had declared that all 74 individuals on board, including six crew members, three military escorts, and 65 Ukrainian servicemen, perished in the crash. However, Ukrainian intelligence suggested a discrepancy in the number of crew members and the bodies brought to the morgue on Wednesday.
Visual evidence to support the claim that Ukrainian soldiers were on the plane was lacking initially. The Russian Investigative Committee later released a second video showing human remains at the crash site.
A video by the Investigative Committee of Russia, and an image taken by Umbra Space for CNN, both indicate the crash site’s location in a field in rural Belgorod oblast.
Moscow accused Kyiv of downing the plane with an anti-aircraft missile system from Ukrainian territory, while Ukraine’s military command did not confirm firing at the plane.
Both parties agreed that a prisoner exchange was planned for Wednesday, but Ukraine had not received notification that the prisoners would be flown into the region, rather than being transferred by road or rail. Ukraine’s ombudsman also confirmed the planned swap, stating that representatives were present.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) launched a criminal investigation into the crash, and the government communications body called for an international investigation, disputing the credibility of Russian official statements.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov emphasized that an investigation is ongoing before making further comments, and condemned the downing of the IL-76, expressing concerns for the Ukrainian servicemen.
