Ukraine wants an international inquiry into the downed plane, which Moscow said was carrying dozens of POWs on board.
Mystery surrounds the crash of a Russian military plane, which Moscow said had been transporting Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs), as demands by Kyiv grow for Russia to provide proof for the claims.
Russian and Ukrainian authorities have opened criminal investigations into Wednesday’s crash of the Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft in Russia’s Belgorod region.
Kyiv has not confirmed or denied involvement in the crash that Moscow said killed 65 POWs, six Russian crew members and three Russian soldiers. Ukrainian officials continue to question whether any prisoners were really on board.
Russia’s preliminary investigation said that a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile launched from Liptsy, Kharkiv oblast, downed the aircraft, and Russian media reported that investigators are decrypting its black boxes.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday it was obvious that Ukraine had shot down the plane, whether on purpose or by accident.
Andrey Kartapolov, who chairs Russia’s parliamentary defense committee, said that Moscow had given Kyiv a 15-minute warning before the aircraft entered the area where it came down.
