Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that the Russian Il-76 military transport plane that crashed Wednesday in the Russian border region of Belgorod was shot down by a Ukrainian anti-aircraft system and that authorities in Kyiv knew Ukrainian prisoners of war were aboard. aboard.

“I don’t know if they did it on purpose or by mistake because they didn’t think everything through. But it is obvious that they did it,” Putin said at a meeting in St. Petersburg with Russian students participating in the Russian military campaign against Ukraine, EFE and Reuters reported, citing Agerpres.

“The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian army knew that (the plane) was transporting military personnel, 65 of the 190 installed” for the exchange of prisoners, Putin continued.

He also noted that before the plane crashed, the Russian army “recorded the launch of two missiles from the territory controlled by the Kyiv regime”, and it follows that Russian investigators will determine the type of anti-aircraft missile in the coming days. was used to shoot down the plane.

Putin ruled out the possibility that the plane was accidentally shot down by Russian anti-aircraft guns. “Our air defense systems, by definition, cannot shoot down our aircraft. They are equipped with a “home-foreign” system, and no matter how much the operator presses the button, our anti-aircraft missile systems do not work,” the Russian president explained.

According to Moscow, 74 people were on board the plane, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war who were to be handed over to Ukraine as part of a new prisoner exchange, six crew members and three companions.

Moscow also claims it warned Kyiv before the plane entered the area where it was shot down. According to the chairman of the defense committee of the State Duma of Russia, Ukrainian military intelligence confirmed the receipt of the warning. Kyiv denies this and demands an international investigation and access to the crash site on Russian territory, claiming that the plane was carrying weapons, not Ukrainian prisoners.

• The Il-76 plane that crashed was supposed to be carrying Russian officials – GUR. What would be the evidence that Russia is lying about the presence of Ukrainian prisoners on the plane, according to Kyiv
• The list of Ukrainian prisoners of war who were allegedly on board the crashed Russian plane includes the names of already released soldiers – a Ukrainian official

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