“The examination of the bodies, which Russia claims are the remains of Ukrainian prisoners of war who died when the Il-76 crashed in January 2024, could take up to two months. Source: Verkhovna Rada human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets in an interview with “Ukrainian Pravda” Direct speech: “Over the past two months, we have improved the procedure for repatriating bodies from both sides.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Source: Human Rights Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada, Dmytro Lubinets, in an interview with “Ukrainian Pravda”
Direct speech: “Over the past two months, we have improved the procedure for repatriating bodies from both sides. The Russian side transferred a fairly large number of our dead to the Ukrainian side. But can I affirmatively say that bodies were transferred to us from the Il-76 until an examination is conducted? No. I hope , we will be able to answer this question to Ukrainian society in a month or two.”
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What preceded: On November 8, as a result of repatriation measures, the bodies of 563 fallen defenders were returned to Ukraine.
At the beginning of December, Tetyana Moskalkova, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Russian Federation, stated in an interview with the propaganda publication of the Russian Federation “RIA Novosti” that Russia handed over to Ukraine the bodies of prisoners of war who allegedly died during the crash of the IL-76 in the Belgorod region on January 24.
The Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War confirmed that Russia has handed over the bodies of what it says are Ukrainian defenders killed in the downing of the Il-76, but these remains require additional identification, which is currently underway.
Prehistory:
- On the afternoon of January 24, 2024, an Il-76 military plane crashed in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation. UP sources in the General Staff claimed that the plane was carrying missiles for the S-300 air defense system.
- After the crash of the Russian IL-76 in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation, a number of Russian mass media spread the statements of Andrii Kartapolov, the head of the Russian State Duma Committee on Defense, that it allegedly contained dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war who were being taken for exchange; Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets reported that he was investigating the situation. The GUR only confirmed that an exchange of prisoners was planned for January 24.
- A few hours after the information about the downfall of the Il-76 appeared, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine issued a statement in which it hinted that this plane was a military target and was transporting ammunition for the Russian army.
- Subsequently, Ombudsman Lubinets reported that Ukraine did not see any signs that a large number of prisoners of war were on board the Il-76 military plane that crashed in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation, as stated by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and other representatives of the aggressor country. The head of the State Security Agency, Kyrylo Budanov, said that the situation with the Il-76 is unclear, because Russia does not show the corpses.
- Russia did not provide the UN Security Council with evidence that there were Ukrainian prisoners of war on board the Il-76 military transport plane, and rejected the demand for an international commission to investigate what happened near Belgorod on January 24.