Russia has identified the remains of all 74 passengers of the IL-76 military transport plane that was shot down last week in the Russian region of Belgorod with 65 Ukrainian prisoners on board, Russian authorities said Thursday.

“In total, more than 670 fragments of the bodies of the dead, as well as personal documents, which were partially preserved, were discovered and collected in the area of ​​the plane crash,” said the statement of the Investigative Committee of Russia, reports EFE and Agerpres.

According to this body, which deals with the main criminal investigations in Russia, the results of the genetic analysis made it possible to conclude that the remains belong to six members of the plane’s crew, three Russian escorts and 65 Ukrainian prisoners who were detained. transported for exchange with the Russian military.

In its statement, the Investigative Committee indicates that the research bodies had at their disposal the genetic profiles of all Ukrainian servicemen on board the IL-76, as all prisoners are required to have “samples of genetic material”.

Earlier, the same Investigative Committee said it had evidence that the Ukrainian army shot down a Russian Il-76 plane last week with American Patriot anti-aircraft missiles, Reuters reports.

Kremlin spokesman Dmytro Peskov on Thursday accused Western countries of lack of interest in the international investigation of the disaster on January 24, EFE notes. “It is clear that none of them are interested in conducting an investigation, because then they may find themselves in this investigation,” Peskov said, referring to the fact that the plane was shot down by missiles supplied to Kyiv by Western countries. Russian version.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that it has been “definitely” established that the Il-76 plane with Ukrainian prisoners of war on board was shot down by an American-made Patriot anti-aircraft missile.

“The plane was shot down by the anti-aircraft complex “Patriot”. This was precisely established by the examination,” said the Russian leader.

Kyiv, which has confirmed that an exchange is being prepared, says the plane was carrying weapons, not prisoners of war.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine indirectly confirmed involvement in the plane crash, stating that Russia was transporting ammunition on board the Il-76, reports the Kyiv publication Slovo i Dilo.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated from the first hours after the disaster that Ukraine would insist on an international investigation of the disaster.

In the first reaction, the press secretary of Vladimir Putin, Dmytro Peskov, said that Russia agrees to an international investigation of the Il-76 crash in the Belgorod region only if the crash is “regarded by the Ukrainian authorities as a crime.” cited edition.

Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinet sent official letters to the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross with a request to inspect the crash site of the IL-76 plane.

At the same time, the UN said that they could not verify Russia’s statements about the presence of Ukrainian prisoners of war on board the IL-76, as well as the circumstances of the plane crash, “Slovo i Dilo” reports.

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