Russia's Investigative Committee said on Thursday that the Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane downed in the Belgorod region on Wednesday had been struck by a Ukrainian-made surface-to-air missile.
In a statement posted on the Telegram messenger app, investigators said that its "preliminary" conclusion was that the Il-76 had been hit by an anti-aircraft missile from the Zenit rocket family, and that it had opened a criminal investigation into the attack.
Russia said on Wednesday that the plane had been carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war who were to be exchanged for Russian captives.
Ukraine responded by casting doubt on the fact that POWs were aboard and putting forward their own theories, including implying that the plane may have posed a threat.
Without mentioning the crash, the general staff of the Ukrainian military said the country would target any Russian military transport plane believed to be delivering missiles, especially near the border.
Ukrainian officials have noted that Moscow did not ask for any specific airspace to be kept safe for a certain length of time, as it has in past prisoner exchanges.
Mykola Oleshchuk, Ukraine’s air force commander, alleged that “rampant Russian propaganda is directing a fake stream of information to the international audience, attempting to discredit Ukraine in the eyes of the global community.”
Ukrainian officials confirmed that a prisoner exchange was due to happen Wednesday. But they said it was called off. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine would push for an international investigation.
The discovery of the transport plane’s flight recorders was reported Thursday by the state-owned RIA Novosti news agency, citing emergency services.
