Russia will continue prisoner exchanges with Ukraine - Putin
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin said that Russia would not stop exchanging prisoners.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to Interfax.
"Will this (the downing of the IL-76 - Ed.) stop the exchanges? We will not stop the exchanges, we need to get our guys back," he said.
The President of the occupying country said that the ratio of Russian and Ukrainian prisoners is "one to ten". He noted that Russia has thousands of prisoners, while Ukraine allegedly has several dozen.
According to the dictator, Russia will continue exchanges if the Ukrainian side is ready.
"And they are constantly giving us a signal that they are ready. Well, if they are ready, please," he added.
As a reminder, today Ukraine returned 207 defenders from Russian captivity. President Zelenskyy said that these were 180 privates and sergeants, as well as 27 officers.
The crash of an IL-76 in the Belgorod region of Russia.
On 24 January 2024, 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 died.
The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine confirmed the information that a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine was to take place on 24 January. Later, DIU spokesman Andriy Yusov clarified that the exchange was to be the largest since the full-scale Russian invasion.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine would insist on an international investigation into the situation with the plane and the prisoner exchange.
The SSU opened an investigation into the downing of the IL-76 in the Belgorod region.
Neither the UN nor the US can establish whether there were any Ukrainian prisoners of war on board.
