The Investigative Committee stated that the Ukrainian Armed Forces shot down an Il-76 from the Patriot complex

The Investigative Committee of Russia stated that the Il-76 military transport aircraft in the Belgorod Region was shot down by a MIM-104A missile launched by the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the American Patriot complex.

The department claims that 116 fragments of the hulls and mechanisms of two missiles with inscriptions and markings in English were found at the crash site.

“According to the conclusion of the expert examinations carried out during the investigation, the fragments removed from the scene of the accident, according to their structural features, geometric characteristics and available markings, are structural elements of the MIM-104A anti-aircraft guided missile of the USA Patriot complex,” the Investigative Committee of Russia reported.

The criminal case about the crash of the Il-76 is being investigated according to the article about the terrorist attack.

The Russian Il-76 military transport plane crashed on the morning of January 24 in the Belgorod region. Russian officials said that the plane was shot down by Ukraine.

The Ministry of Defense of Russia claims that there were 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war on board, who were transported to Belgorod for exchange, as well as six crew members and three escorts. All of them, according to the department, died.

Russia has not yet provided convincing evidence that the plane was carrying prisoners – for example, body fragments that could be identified as belonging to the Ukrainian military.

The Ukrainian authorities have not yet confirmed, but neither have they refuted any of the versions of the disaster. The State Government of Ukraine confirmed that the exchange of prisoners was supposed to take place on January 24, and also stated that “the Ukrainian side was not notified of the need to ensure the safety of the airspace in the region of Belgorod during a certain period of time, as was repeatedly done in the past.”

Following the downing of the IL-76, the Security Service of Ukraine launched an investigation under the criminal article “violation of the laws and customs of war”.

Radio Liberty today publishes the first high-resolution satellite image showing the crash site of the IL-76 near Belgorod on January 24. A picture of the Planet.com service shows that the trail left by the plane when it fell is almost 500 meters long.