The representative of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Andriy Yusov, believes that the fall of the IL-76 in the Belgorod region of Russia may be planned for a provocation, since there were several VIPs on board, including representatives of the Russian authorities and military. However, at the last moment, the Federal Security Service (FSB) recommended that they use another type of transport. This may indicate that the incident was deliberate, as well as possible preparation for the provocation that was to happen.
According to Yusov, there is a lot of information that does not contact or testifies to the deliberate actions of the Russian Federation , including the possibility of military crimes and violations of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Convention.
According to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Russian media, on Wednesday, January 24, the IL-76 aircraft crashed in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation. It was assumed that Ukrainian prisoners of war were on board. However, the General Directorate of Intelligence confirmed that the exchange of prisoners, planned for January 24, never happened. Until now, GUR has no reliable information about who was on board the aircraft and in what quantity.
