Kremlin says Kyiv has not asked to hand over bodies of those killed in IL-76
Russian President's spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on the statement of the Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate representative Andriy Yusov regarding the victims of the IL-76
This was reported by RIA Novosti.
Peskov claims that the Kremlin has not received any requests from Kyiv to hand over the bodies of the alleged captives who died in the crash of the IL-76 in the Belgorod region.
"To the administration - no," he said when asked if such a request had been made.
What is known about the crash of the IL-76 in Russia
On January 24, a Russian military transport aircraft IL-76 crashed in the Belgorod region.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that the ship allegedly carried Ukrainian prisoners of war who were being transported to the Belgorod region for exchange.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia had requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council because of the downing of the plane, which Moscow accused Ukraine of shooting down. France rejected the request.
The Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate confirmed that a prisoner exchange was to take place on January 24. The intelligence noted that it currently does not have reliable and comprehensive information about who was on board the plane and in what quantity.
White House National Security Council Coordinator John Kirby said that the United States cannot confirm the presence of Ukrainian prisoners of war in the Russian IL-76.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he will insist on an international investigation into the downing of the IL-76 military transport aircraft in Russia.
On January 30, Ukrainian intelligence said that Russia refuses to hand over the bodies of prisoners who allegedly died in the IL-76.
On January 31, Russian leader Vladimir Putin said the IL-76 military transport aircraft was shot down by the US Patriot system and promised to allow international experts to investigate.
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