The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces issued a statement – it does not mention the crash of the IL-76

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces issued a statement a few hours after the crash of the IL-76 military transport aircraft in the Belgorod Region.

The message does not directly mention the crash of the plane, but it says that Russia constantly launches missile strikes on the territory of Ukraine, which forces the Armed Forces of Ukraine to engage in “monitoring of missile launch points and the logistics of their delivery, especially with the use of military transport aviation.”

The Armed Forces of Ukraine stated that “the intensity of shelling is directly related to the increase in the number of military transport aircraft that have recently been sent to the Belgorod airfield”, for this reason, the Armed Forces of Ukraine intend to “take measures to destroy means of delivery and air control” in the future space in order to reduce the terrorist threat”.

On Wednesday morning, the Ministry of Defense of Russia reported that the IL-76 had crashed in the Belgorod region. On board, as stated in the message, there were 65 captured servicemen of the Ukrainian Armed Forces who were being taken to the Belgorod region for exchange, six crew members and three escorts. All of them, according to the authorities, died. The GUR of Ukraine subsequently confirmed that on January 24, the exchange of prisoners was supposed to take place.

“Ukrainskaya Pravda” and “RBK-Ukraine” reported with reference to sources that the IL-76 was shot down by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The plane, according to published data, was carrying missiles for S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems for shelling of the Kharkiv region. Later, both editions edited the news, removing the mention of the involvement of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the downing of the plane.