Volodymyr Putin, the President of the Russian Federation, has repeatedly made his comments on the fall of the IL-76 military aircraft in the Belgorod region. As part of the election campaign, he stated that there were Ukrainian prisoners of war on board, and the plane was shot down by the US air defense system.
Putin emphasized that Russia would continue the maintenance of prisoners of war, and suggested that the crash of the aircraft could be a provocation of Ukraine. He also claims that the examination confirmed the use of the American Patriot system.
"Il-76 in the Belgorod region was shot down by the American Patriot system, it has established an expertise, Russia insists on an international investigation of the aircraft accident," Putin said.
The President also emphasized in the intention of Russia to contact international organizations for investigation and expressed doubts about the will of Ukraine for such an investigation.
At the same time, he suggested that the ratio of prisoners of war between the Russian Federation and Ukraine is about 1 to 10, and the Kremlin does not plan to stop the exchange of prisoners. Russia has previously refused to create an international commission to investigate the aircraft accident, pointing to the exclusion of such opportunity.
It should be noted that the IL-76 aircraft fell in the Belgorod region on January 24, information about the event diverged various sources, including statements by Russian and Ukrainian representatives. The Ukrainian side insists on the international investigation, while Russia remains in its conclusions about the causes of the accident.
