Putin accuses Kyiv of downing Russian military plane with Ukraine POWs

Russian president expressed grief only for the deaths of the pilots, not the Ukrainian prisoners, in Wednesday’s crash.

A still image taken from handout video provided by the Russian Investigative Committee showing the site of the crash | Russian Investigative Committee via Getty Images

Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed Kyiv for the crash of a military transport plane this week that Moscow claims killed dozens of people, mostly Ukrainian prisoners of war.

“The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Armed Forces knew that we were taking military personnel there … and, knowing this, struck this plane,” Putin said on Friday, in his first remarks on the crash of the Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft near Belgorod on Wednesday. 

“I don’t know whether they did it intentionally or by mistake,” Putin stressed.

He claimed the Russian army detected two missile launches from Ukraine-controlled areas that hit the plane.

“Most likely, it was American Patriot systems or European, probably French,” Putin said. POLITICO could not independently verify his claims. 

Putin refuted theories of “friendly fire” for the downing of the aircraft. “There are friend-or-foe systems, and no matter how many times the operator presses the button, our air defense systems would not have engaged,” Putin said. 

“We only regret about our pilots,” he added. 

Russia’s Investigative Committee reported collecting the remains and documents of deceased Ukrainian servicemen. Russia has sole access to the crash site.  

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday called for an international investigation into the crash. Kyiv said it couldn’t confirm the plane carried Ukrainian POWs. Ukrainian media initially reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces downed the plane.

Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate confirmed a scheduled prisoner exchange on the day of the crash but said it didn’t occur. 

Ukraine denied prior warning from Russia of a plane with POWs over Belgorod.

At a U.N. Security Council meeting on Thursday, convened at the request of Moscow, Russian and Ukrainian representatives maintained their governments’ stances. Ukraine’s deputy U.N. representative, Khrystyna Hayovyshyn, said Kyiv was not informed about the means of transportation of the captives. Russia’s Dmitry Polyanskiy labeled the incident a “calculated crime by Kyiv.”

Rosemary DiCarlo, the U.N. undersecretary-general for political and peace-building affairs, said the U.N. couldn’t verify the presence of POWs on the downed plane.

Sergey Goryashko is hosted at POLITICO under the EU-funded EU4FreeMedia residency program.