Ukraine has appealed to Russia to return the bodies of prisoners of war who allegedly died in the crash of an Il-76 aircraft. However, Moscow does not respond to these requests. This was stated by a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Andriy Yusov, on the air of the national telethon, UNN reports .
Details
This is an extremely complex and dramatic issue. And yesterday's exchange is almost the end of the exchange that was supposed to take place on January 24, except for this list of 65 people whom Russia declared dead
Yusov noted that the Ukrainians who were supposed to be exchanged on January 24 have returned home, except for 65 people on the list who were declared dead by the Kremlin.
The spokesperson emphasized that the status of these 65 soldiers, whom the Russians declared dead, has not changed in Ukraine - they are considered prisoners of war.
Regarding the information about the deaths, yes, Ukraine has applied and continues to apply for the transfer of bodies. So far, the Russian side has not agreed to this
Yusov noted that "Ukraine's demand for an impartial international investigation into not only the circumstances of the crash of the IL-76 remains relevant, but also to find out what was actually inside - whether there were people or ammunition, in addition to the crew.
Context
On January 24, an Il-76 military plane crashed in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that the plane allegedly carried Ukrainian prisoners who were being transported for an exchange. At the same time, Ukrainian media reported that the IL-76 was transporting missiles for S-300 systems.