Already a subscriber? Make sure to log into your account before viewing this content. You can access your account by hitting the “login” button on the top right corner. Still unable to see the content after signing in? Make sure your card on file is up-to-date.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that Ukrainian air defenses were responsible for shooting down a Russian military plane near the Ukraine border earlier this week.
In his initial remarks regarding Wednesday’s crash, Putin indicated that Moscow’s investigation results, expected in a few days, preliminarily point to missiles that were either American or French. He further accused Ukraine of being aware that the Ilyushin Il-76 plane was transporting 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, stating, “I don’t know if they did it on purpose or by mistake, but it is obvious that they did it.”
More footage showing some of the identification of the Ukrainian POWs that died in the IL-76 downing. pic.twitter.com/6sWoRkpQmJ
— ayden (@squatsons) January 26, 2024
Putin described the incident as a “crime,” regardless of whether it was intentional or accidental. The Russian Defence Ministry reported that the flight, which crashed during a prisoner swap operation with Ukraine, carried six Russian crew members and three Russian soldiers. Ukraine has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement in the downing of the plane and has questioned Moscow’s account of the plane’s passengers and the incident’s circumstances.

Kyiv has denied Moscow’s claim of being warned about the flight path over Russia’s Belgorod region and pointed out inconsistencies in the list of Ukrainian prisoners reportedly on board. Putin dismissed the possibility of Russian “friendly fire,” citing air defense system safeguards that prevent attacks on their aircraft. He explained, “There are ‘friend or foe’ systems there, and no matter how much the operator presses the button, our air defense systems would not work.”
Ukraine has called for an international investigation into the incident. Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets expressed skepticism about Russian cooperation, planning to approach the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross for involvement. In contrast, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov requested an emergency UN Security Council session to discuss the crash.
At the UN session, both Moscow and Kyiv attempted to attribute blame to each other. Russia’s Deputy Ambassador to the UN, Dmitry Polyanskiy, accused Ukraine of deliberately orchestrating the incident, while Ukraine’s Deputy Ambassador Khrystyna Hayovyshyn refuted these claims, emphasizing the lack of information provided by Russia about the transportation of the prisoners.