Friendly fire is logical version - aviation expert on Russia's IL-76 crash

He said this on the Espreso TV channel.

"Apparently, the plane was flying from Belgorod somewhere to the north or east. And this rejects the very idea that there were prisoners of war on board, who were being taken for an exchange. At the same time, Lavrov is in New York telling people how bad Ukrainians are. There was also an immediate reaction from the Kremlin - 15 minutes.

Earlier, when the A-50, Il-22, Su-34 incidents happened, there was no reaction from the Kremlin. We can see in the pictures the wreckage of the aircraft, which fell from a low altitude, but for some reason it was scattered over 2 km. It looks like there was a detonation. Therefore, this is a propaganda version," said Kryvolap.

According to the aviation expert, it was most likely a so-called friendly fire.

"The Russian forces fired at this plane because at that time they were firing S-300 missiles at Kharkiv. It was at this time that our drones were flying over the Belgorod region, which Russia was trying to shoot down. Perhaps in this panic, the Russian forces shot down the plane. This version is not controversial. The only question is the very quick reaction of the propagandists, as if they were ready for it," Kryvolap said. 

IL-76 crash in Russia

On Wednesday, January 24, a Russian military transport aircraft IL-76 crashed in the Korocha district of 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.

Ukrainian General Staff emphasized that Ukrainian Defense Forces control the airspace and track missile launch points and logistics of their supply, especially with the use of military transport aircraft, and will continue to take measures to destroy delivery vehicles.

The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry confirmed that a prisoner exchange was to take place on January 24. The intelligence noted that they currently do 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 in the Russian IL-76.

On 25 January, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would insist on an international investigation into the downing of the IL-76 military transport plane in Russia.