Russia accuses Ukraine of shooting down its plane, 74 people died
[ad_1]
Creative Commons
Andrei Kartapolov, a lawmaker in Russia’s parliament and a retired general, said in a TV interview with the SHOT outlet that this was absolutely intentional. They knew very well where the aircraft was en route, where it was going and that operators of (Ukrainian) surface-to-air missile systems could not mistake transport aircraft for military aircraft or helicopters as targets.
Russia accused Ukraine on Wednesday of deliberately shooting down a Russian military transport plane that was carrying 65 captured Ukrainian soldiers for a prisoner exchange. A local official said all 74 people on board were killed. Russian state media said six Russian crew members and three guards were on the Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane, which was shot down near the Russian city of Belgorod, near the Ukrainian border.
Andrei Kartapolov, a lawmaker in Russia’s parliament and a retired general, said in a TV interview with the SHOT outlet that this was absolutely intentional. They knew very well where the aircraft was en route, where it was going and that operators of (Ukrainian) surface-to-air missile systems could not mistake transport aircraft for military aircraft or helicopters as targets. This was done deliberately to disrupt the exchange of prisoners.
Kartapolov, who has close ties to the Defense Ministry, said the plane was shot down by three German-made missiles fired by the US. If the details are confirmed, it would be the deadliest incident of the nearly two-year-old war inside Russia’s internationally recognized borders. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Interfax-Ukraine news agency quoted it as saying it did not have any reliable information yet, but would share it when it became available.
other news
[ad_2]
Source link
