Thread: Moscow accuses Kyiv of shooting down Il-76 aircraft filled with Ukrainian POWs

Moscow accuses Kyiv of shooting down Il-76 aircraft filled with Ukrainian POWs

01/28/2024 // Ramon Tomey // 930 Views

Tags: Andrey Kartapolov, Belgorod, chaos, Collapse, conspiracy, humanitarian, Ilyushin Il-76, POW, prisoner exchange, prisoners of war, Russia, Russia-Ukraine war, transport plane, Ukraine, violence, Vyacheslav Gladkov, Vyacheslav Volodin, WWIII


Russia has accused Ukraine of deliberately shooting down a Russian transport plane with 65 captured Ukrainian soldiers en route to a prison exchange.
Moscow leveled the accusation on Jan. 24, noting that the Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane was carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs). The plane was shot down near the Russian city of Belgorod, which borders Ukraine, per a report by Russian state media. All 74 passengers – the 65 Ukrainian POWs, six Russian crew members and three Russian guards – were killed in the incident.
Footage of the incident was posted on the Telegram messaging app by the Baza channel, which is linked to the Russian Federal Security Service. The clip, which was verified by Reuters, showed a large aircraft falling toward the ground near the Yablnonovo in the oblast (province) and exploding in a large fireball.
"The Il-76 is a military transport aircraft designed to airlift troops, cargo, military equipment and weapons," the Epoch Times reported. "It usually has a crew of five, and it can carry up to 90 passengers."
Belgorod Oblast Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov also confirmed that there were no survivors on the plane. He added that the plane came down in the region's Korochansky district, located northeast of the city of Belgorod. Investigators and emergency workers had already responded to the scene, as per Gladkov.
Andrey Kartapolov, a member of the State Duma – Russia's lower house of parliament – said the attack was "done deliberately to sabotage the prisoner exchange." He added that the transport plane was shot down by three missiles manufactured either in the U.S. or in Germany.
"It was absolutely deliberate," he told the SHOT news outlet in an interview. "They knew very well that the plane was en route [and] where it was going. Operators of [Ukrainian] surface-to-air missile systems cannot mistake transport planes for military planes or helicopters as targets." (Related: WATCH: Ukrainian soldiers caught on camera appearing to commit war crimes by shooting Russian POWs in the legs.)
"If the details are confirmed, it would be the deadliest incident of the almost two-year-old war inside Russia's internationally recognized borders," the Epoch Times pointed out. Meanwhile, the Kremlin told a reporter that it was looking into the situation.
Kyiv remains silent on the matter

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense did not immediately reply to a request for comment sent by Reuters. According to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, the ministry did not have any reliable information for now and it would share additional information when it did.
"Comments will come a little later," Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, told Reuters. "Time is needed to clarify all the data."
Meanwhile, Ukrainian media outlet Ukrainska Pravda initially reported that Kyiv had shot down the plane as it carried S-300 missiles. It cited military sources for this initial report but later corrected the story saying that information hadn't been confirmed by other sources.
"Reuters couldn't immediately verify details of who was on board, but Moscow and Kyiv have regularly swapped prisoners since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 in what it calls a 'special military operation,'" the Epoch Times stated. "The Belgorod region … has come under frequent attack from Ukraine in recent months, including a December missile strike that killed 25 people."
State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin meanwhile said the lower chamber would prepare an appeal to its counterparts in the U.S. and Germany – the U.S. Congress and the German Bundestag – "so their lawmakers at last can see clearly who they are financing … [and] helping."
"[Ukraine] shot down their own soldiers in mid-air. Their mothers, wives and children were waiting for them," said Volodin. "They took a decision and shot down our defenseless pilots on a military transport plane, who were carrying out a humanitarian mission, with American and German rockets."
Head over to WWIII.news for more stories about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Watch this clip of the transport plane with Ukrainian prisoners being shot down.

This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:

Human rights investigators find neo-Nazi torture chamber with corpse in Ukraine.
Horrific video appears to show Ukrainians using chemical weapons against Russian troops.
New report finds Ukrainian troops equally liable for nursing home massacre early in war with Russia.
Sources include:
TheEpochTimes.com
Brighteon.com

Moscow accuses Kyiv of shooting down Il-76 aircraft filled with Ukrainian POWs – NaturalNews.com

Belgorod plane attack: Why did Ukraine shoot down an aircraft carrying dozens of its own soldiers?

01/29/2024 // News Editors // 890 Views

Tags: Belgorod region, chaos, conspiracy, corruption, Dangerous, deception, false-flag, government, national security, politics, prisoner swap, prisoners of war, Russia, Russia-Ukraine war, traitors, transport plane, treason, Ukraine, Ukrainian POWs, War, war on Ukraine


On Wednesday, an Il-76 transport plane was downed in Russian airspace. It was reportedly carrying 65 Ukrainian POWs scheduled for a prisoner swap, escorted by three Russian military guards, as well as six crew members. All on board were killed. It seems the aircraft was destroyed by missiles launched from a US-supplied Patriot system.
(Article republished from RT.com)
The incident prompts a critical question: What were the Ukrainian soldiers doing so far from their homeland that air transportation was necessary? The answer is simple: The POWs were initially held in the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics, but then came a Ukrainian HIMARS attack on a prisoner camp in Olenovka near Volnovakha on July 29, 2022, killing 53 people. This seems to have been the reason for the transfer, aiming to distance the POWs from high-tech precision weapons systems provided to Kiev by NATO.
Today, we can say with absolute certainty that this did not help. Ukraine has once again shown the world just how dangerous it can be for its own citizens.
What happened?

Around noon on Wednesday, Moscow time (9am GMT), footage spread online depicting the crash on snow-covered fields. A distinctive church seen on video meant the location was soon identified as being near the village of Yablonovo, Korochansky District, in Belgorod Region.
Almost immediately, Ukrainian Telegram channels, both anonymous and verified (such as Unian and Ukrainskaya Pravda), were inundated with posts citing sources close to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). These posts claimed that a) the plane was purportedly carrying missiles for Russia’s S-300 systems intended for use in attacks on Kharkov, and b) the downing was attributed to the Kiev's actions.
A short time later, the Russian Defense Ministry officially announced that 65 captured Ukrainian soldiers who were being transported to Belgorod for a prisoner exchange were on board the plane, along with six crew members and three guards.
Immediately afterwards, statements about the involvement of Kiev’s forces began to disappear from the Ukrainian internet, as well as any mention of the alleged cargo (missiles for the S-300 system).
At 3pm Moscow time, the Russian Defense Ministry made an official announcement, stating that two Ukrainian missiles had been launched from the Liptsy suburb of Kharkov. The point of impact was approximately 100km away, a range well within the coverage of the AFU’s Patriot missiles of all modifications, including PAC-2 GEM-T and PAC-3 MSE.
Concurrently, lists featuring the names of Ukrainian servicemen surfaced, which can be verified through the meticulous maintenance of Ukrainian POW databases by dedicated enthusiasts.
Background

Belgorod’s civilian airport has been shut down since Russia launched its military operation in February 2022. This closure is a precautionary measure due to the airport’s location within the range of Ukrainian air defenses.
Nevertheless, the air transportation of prisoners to Belgorod for exchange is a well-established practice. Previous instances were conducted using the Il-76 aircraft, notably on January 3, 2024, with the actual exchange occurring on January 8.
It’s reasonable to assume that the Ukrainian side was notified about these flights, similar to how Russia is informed about visits by foreign leaders to Kiev.
On Wednesday, two planes were involved; the second Il-76 aircraft, transporting another group of prisoners, promptly reversed course and returned to base after the first aircraft crashed.
The AFU’s actions have precedents. On multiple occasions, they have covertly positioned Western air defense systems, including Patriots and IRIS-Ts, near the border of Belgorod Region or the line of contact, attempting to use them to engage aircraft within Russian airspace. Despite claiming success in these operations, Ukrainian forces have consistently failed to substantiate their reports with evidence.
What now?

Ukraine, as always, is firmly in denial, so we are unlikely to learn the real motives behind the actions of its military anytime soon. Was it a mistake caused by a lack of coordination and general sloppiness, a deliberate provocation, or both? Were they aiming to shoot the plane down on its way home with Russian POWs on board, but something went wrong?
Is this the end of prisoner exchanges? One would hope not. In just under two years, more than a thousand captured Russian soldiers have been brought home in POW swaps, but many others are still being held captive, so these exchanges need to go on.
Will there be any reaction from the West? I’m certain there won’t be. At best, we’ll hear routine hypocritical expressions of concern, or, more likely, another round of tirades about how Russia is to blame. The West continues to use Ukraine, while it can get away with it, and will keep turning a blind eye to anything, including the killing of Ukrainians by Western “weapons of freedom.”
Not that it matters to the dead Russian pilots or Ukrainian soldiers who were on their way home. What matters is that the idea that the Ukrainian government being the worst enemy of its own people has just be bolstered.
Moloch

The Ukrainian army, which is getting weaker by the day, is not fighting for a “better future.”
The Ukrainian army is not fighting for “freedom.” People at the highest levels in Kiev have confirmed that they were offered what would be incredibly accommodating terms by current standards at the peace negotiations with Russia in Istanbul back in March and April 2022.
The Ukrainian army is not fighting “to expel the enemy,” as only the craziest of fanatics continue to claim that this can be achieved by military means.
It’s not even fighting for “the European way,” as NATO and EU membership is receding into background, like a dot on the horizon, which is no secret to anyone.
The Ukrainian army is fighting and Ukrainian soldiers are rotting alive in rat-infested trenches, dying by the thousands for one thing only: to keep the current Kiev regime in power.
It’s a regime that refuses to accept reality and keeps saying it’s winning.
It’s a regime that has no qualms about sacrificing thousands upon thousands of its own citizens for a fleeting spot in the media limelight, just for the show.
It sacrificed them in Bakhmut, even though trying to hold the city was clearly pointless. It sacrificed them near Rabotino, even though the Ukrainian army leadership realized the failure of the counteroffensive after just a few days.
It sacrificed them during suicidal, flag-waving raids on Snake Island and Crimea, even though few came back from those escapades. It’s sacrificing them today in Krynki, in Avdeevka, and near Belgorod – just like that, for nothing in particular.
Every day, Ukraine’s plight is getting worse. Zelensky is running out of fuel for his fire, but he keeps throwing more soldiers into the flames, sending people-catchers to grab anyone they can get their hands on in the street.
All of those are not separate incidents but the work of an inhuman machine of annihilation, which will only go down when the Ukrainian state falls.
The plane incident is just another episode. But one would like to think that this will be the straw that breaks the camel's back.
If that happens, it will mean that the deaths of our pilots and Ukrainian POWs will not have been in vain.
Read more at: RT.com

Belgorod plane attack: Why did Ukraine shoot down an aircraft carrying dozens of its own soldiers? – NaturalNews.com