Lviv bids farewell to 12 POWs killed in Il-76 plane crash in Russia. PHOTOS
On Friday, July 25, a farewell ceremony was held in Lviv for 12 defenders of the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade who had been captured by Russian forces and died in the crash of an Il-76 aircraft over Belgorod on January 24, 2024.
This was reported by the Media Initiative for Human Rights and confirmed by the 24th Brigade, according to Censor.NET.
The Ukrainian defenders honored in today’s ceremony were:
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Vladyslav Bobrovskyi
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Bohdan Dudiak
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Nazar Kovalyk
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Yaroslav Kryvanio
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Oleh Kuzma
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Serhii Levkiv
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Ivan Okhapskyi
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Nazar Petrykiv
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Yaroslav Soboliev
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Deuran Tailakov
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Mykolai Trukhan
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Ivan Fedeka
All of them fought as part of the 24th Separate Mechanised Brigade, performed combat missions and were taken prisoner by Russia. The youngest soldier was 26 years old at the time of his death, and the oldest was 56.
"Some of the men Lviv bids farewell to today had military experience dating back to the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO). But all of them returned to service, either mobilized or volunteered, at the start of the full-scale invasion. Some even left jobs abroad to defend their homeland," noted the Media Initiative for Human Rights.
After the ceremony, the bodies of the soldiers were taken to their home communities for burial. Three of them will be buried in Lviv on Saturday.
Il-76 crash in Russia’s Belgorod region
On January 24, an Il-76 aircraft, typically used to transport equipment and airborne troops, crashed in Russia’s Belgorod region.
Russian media reported that the aircraft was primarily carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war, all of whom were killed in the crash.
Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence (DIU) confirmed that a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine had been scheduled for January 24. Later, DIU representative Andrii Yusov clarified that this exchange was expected to be the largest since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine would insist on an international investigation into the incident involving the aircraft and the planned POW exchange.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has opened criminal proceedings regarding the Il-76 crash in Belgorod region.
Neither the UN nor the US can establish whether there were any Ukrainian prisoners of war on board the plane.
Lubinets later said that Russia does not allow international experts to investigate, and the ICRC does not demand this access.
In early February, a representative of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Andrii Yusov, said that Ukraine had asked Russia to return the bodies of Ukrainian prisoners of war who allegedly died as a result of the downing of an IL-76 aircraft in the Belgorod region. Russia has not yet responded to these requests.
As previously reported by Censor.NET, on March 1, Russian Commissioner for Human Rights Tatyana Moskalkova stated that Russia was ready to hand over to Ukraine the bodies allegedly killed in the Il-76 crash. Later, Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, said that communication with Russia regarding the handover of the bodies was underway. On December 9, Russian Ombudswoman Moskalkova claimed that Russia had allegedly transferred to Ukraine the bodies of prisoners of war whom the Russian side insists were killed in the Il-76 crash in Belgorod region on January 24, 2024. Lubinets, in turn, confirmed that Ukraine had received the remains of those reportedly on board the Il-76. Identification is ongoing.
