Dmitry Peskov presented a condition for an international investigation into the Il-76 accident to be conducted.
Russian authorities have agreed to an international investigation into the Il-76 accident near Belgorod, but only if it is considered a crime by Ukrainian authorities. This statement was made by Kremlin Speaker Dmitry Peskov at a briefing on Thursday, January 25.
In particular, journalists asked him to comment on Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s statements about the need for an international investigation into the incident.
“If this implies an international investigation into the criminal actions of the Kyiv regime, this is certainly necessary,” Peskov said.
Asked why the plane was shot down and whether it was a deliberate act, the Kremlin spokesman said: “You should have the phone number of President Zelensky’s administration. Call and ask this question.”
Dmitry Peskov said that “the Ukrainians killed their prisoners” and this, in his opinion, was a “terrible act” that “he could not wrap his head around.”
“No one will tell you how this will affect the prospects for the continuation of this process (exchange of prisoners – ed.), Peskov said and added that “it is not yet completely clear what happened; just yesterday investigators began to study the remains of the plane. .”
Meanwhile, Russian media reported that both “black boxes” of the Il-76 aircraft had been found.
We remind you that on January 24, an Il-76 plane crashed in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation. The Russian Ministry of Defense says there are alleged Ukrainian prisoners on the plane being transported for another exchange. Ukrainskaya Pravda, citing sources in the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, reported that the Il-76 carried missiles for the S-300 air defense system, which the Russians often fired at Kharkov from the Belgorod region.
Later, the Main Intelligence Directorate confirmed that a prisoner exchange was supposed to take place that day, but it did not happen. And the Russians published a list of 65 Ukrainian prisoners who were said to have died during the crash. However, as Ukrainian journalists found out, the data of at least 17 people from the shock list coincided with the data of 17 Ukrainian Armed Forces fighters who were exchanged on January 3.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.