Ukraine was not informed about number of vehicles, routes and forms of delivery of prisoners - Defence Intelligence of Ukraine
Currently, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine has no verified and comprehensive information on who exactly was on board the IL-76 aircraft that crashed today in the Belgorod region.
This was stated on Telegram channel of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Censor.NET reports.
According to intelligence, a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine was supposed to take place today, but it did not. The Russian side claims that this happened as a result of the downing of a Russian Il-76 aircraft, which was allegedly carrying our prisoners.
However, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine notes that there is no verified and comprehensive information on who was on board the plane and in what quantity.
"For its part, Ukraine has fulfilled all the agreements to prepare the exchange. The Russian captured servicemen were delivered on time to the agreed point for the exchange, where they were kept safe," the statement said.
According to the agreements, the security of Ukrainian defenders was to be ensured by the Russian side.
"At the same time, the Ukrainian side was not informed of the need to ensure the safety of the airspace in the area of Belgorod within a certain period of time, as it had been done many times in the past," the DIU added.
They note that the landing of a transport aircraft in a 30-kilometre combat zone cannot be safe and should in any case be discussed by both sides, as otherwise it endangers the entire exchange process.
"Based on this, we can talk about the planned and deliberate actions of the Russian Federation to destabilise the situation in Ukraine and weaken international support for our country," the department said.
Earlier it was reported that the exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine was to take place on 24 January.
