War in Ukraine: According to a French military source Franceinfo the crashed plane was hit by a Ukrainian attack

According to this source, the aircraft was hit by a US-made air defense battery of the Ukrainian army.

Published on January 24, 2024 9:07 p.m. Updated on January 24, 2024 9:44 p.m

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Russian traffic police officers stand on the side of the road outside the village of Jablonovo, near the crash site of the Russian military transport aircraft IL-76 in Belgorod region, January 24, 2024. (STRINGER / AFP)

The plane that Moscow said was carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners that was shot down on Wednesday, January 24, over the city of Belgorod in Russia, very close to the Ukrainian border, was hit by a Ukrainian air defense battery, a Ukrainian air defense battery said on Wednesday with evening. French military source at franceinfo. According to this source, this aircraft, the Iyushin 76, was hit by the US-made Patriot air defense battery of the Ukrainian army.

At Moscow's request, an emergency meeting of the Security Council will take place on Thursday evening, the French Presidency announced on Wednesday. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who was visiting New York, had requested this meeting for Wednesday earlier in the day, but it would take place “tomorrow, January 25” at 11 p.m. (French time), the presidency said.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls for an international investigation

For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for an international investigation into the matter on Wednesday evening. “It is obvious that the Russians are playing with the lives of Ukrainian prisoners, with the feelings of their parents and the emotions of our society,” he said in his daily address, without confirming or denying that the victims were actually prisoners acted his country.

The Russian Defense Ministry accused Kiev of shooting down this Russian military plane carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war and claimed to have observed “the launch of two missiles.” “The Kiev regime committed a terrorist attack by shooting down a Russian military transport plane that was flying from Chkalovsky airfield to Belgorod to transport Ukrainian soldiers for an exchange,” the ministry said. According to Moscow, no one survived the plane crash.

Ukraine's Military Intelligence (GUR) said it had no “reliable information” about the passengers of the crashed Russian plane. “Today a prisoner exchange was planned, but it did not take place,” he added, assuring that Ukraine had “not been informed” of the need to secure the airspace in the zone.