At 11:15 am (local time), a Russian Air Force (VVS) Il-76MD military transport aircraft was shot down while maneuvering to land in the city of Belgorod, near the Ukrainian border.
A longer and non-watermarked footage of the Russian Il-76 crashing in Belgorod. A likely missile trace is visible in the sky on the 21st second of the video. Ukrainians sources claim that the AFU shot down the plane. pic.twitter.com/QwQ6mSSQXb
— Giorgi Revishvili (@revishvilig) January 24, 2024
According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, its radars detected two missiles that were launched by Ukrainian forces from Liptsy (Kharkov region) against the Il-76, which was coming from Chkalovsky and was landing at Belgorod airport, carrying 65 Ukrainian soldiers who were going to participate in a prisoner exchange. Also on the aircraft were six crew members and three Russian soldiers accompanying the Ukrainian prisoners. All occupants of the aircraft died.
Russia accuses the Ukrainian leadership of being fully aware that the captured Ukrainian soldiers were being airlifted to Belgorod in the morning, in order to carry out the prisoner exchange at the Kolotilovka checkpoint on the Russian-Ukrainian border in the afternoon, as agreed by the parties.
A confusing Ukrainian answer
In the first instance, according to Ukrainian media outlet Pravda, the Ukrainian General Staff issued a statement taking responsibility for the downing of the Russian Il-76MD military transport aircraft. Pro-Ukrainian social media echoed the statement. Although the Ukrainian Air Force social networks remained silent.
Zdjęcie na gorąco z miejsca rozbicia się rosyjskiego samolotu #Il76. Nigdzie nie widać rakiet do S-300, o których pisały media ukraińskie. Na początku przyznali się do zestrzelenia maszyny ze swoimi jeńcami, później się tego wyparli. Tyle, że nagłówki w sieci nie giną. pic.twitter.com/dXFOt23OWh
— Krystian Jachacy ???????? (@KrystianJachacy) January 24, 2024
But as the hours passed and Russian sources reported that the downed plane was carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POW), showing as evidence the passenger list, the Ukrainian media began to claim that this is a lie, and that the plane in question was carrying components and ammunition of the Russian S-300 air defense system.
It is now confirmed that #Ukrainian Armed Forces really shot down a #Russian Il-76MD full of Ukrainian war prisoners who were going to be exchanged with several Russian war prisoners in #Ukraine today. To hide the mess, Ukrainian media are mow censoring the news about shot down… pic.twitter.com/PPRi0p3xcL
— Babak Taghvaee – The Crisis Watch (@BabakTaghvaee1) January 24, 2024
Defense analysts, in their social networks, claim that the Ukrainian media are carrying out censorship actions on the news of the downing of an Il-76MD of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) over Belgorod, giving some degree of credibility to the accusations launched by Moscow against Kiev and that it was indeed an intelligence failure with terrible consequences.
