UN cannot establish circumstances of the IL-76 crash and whether Ukrainian prisoners were on board
The United Nations (UN) cannot establish whether Ukrainian prisoners of war were on board the IL-76 plane shot down in the Belgorod region.
According to Censor.NET, citing RBC-Ukraine, this was stated by UN Deputy Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo at a meeting of the UN Security Council on January 25.
"According to the Russian authorities, the plane was carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, six Russian crew members and three Russian servicemen. According to the Ukrainian authorities, the plane could have been carrying missiles for the Russian military system," said DiCarlo.
She reminded that Ukraine has called for an international investigation into the crash.
"The UN is not in a position to verify these reports or the circumstances of the crash. What is clear is that the incident occurred in the context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war," the UN Under-Secretary-General said.
According to DiCarlo, in recent weeks "the scale and intensity of attacks on Ukraine have increased, indicating a dangerous trajectory of the war."
"Rocket attacks and shelling on civilian areas result in the deaths and injuries of civilians and the destruction of critical infrastructure," the UN Under-Secretary-General emphasized.
Crash of IL-76
On January 24, an Il-76 aircraft used to transport equipment and troops crashed in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation.
Russian media reported that the plane was carrying mostly Ukrainian prisoners of war, all of whom were killed.
The Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate confirmed that a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine was to take place on January 24.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine would insist on an international investigation into the situation with the plane and the prisoner exchange.
