Russia Claims Ukrainian Intelligence Has Been Notified About Military Transport Plane Carrying War Brawl

JAKARTA - A senior Russian lawmaker said Ukrainian military intelligence had been notified 15 minutes before a Russian military transport plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war entered the area where the plane was shot down on Wednesday.

Moscow accused Kyiv of shooting down an Ilyushin Il-76 plane in Russia's Belgorod region, killing 74 people on board, including 65 Ukrainian soldiers who were arrested on the way to exchange for Russian war prisoners. Ukraine neither confirmed nor denied the statement, but demanded an international investigation.

"Ukraine officials have been officially warned and 15 minutes before the plane enters the zone, they were given complete information, which they received and the Ukrainian Armed Forces' Main Intelligence Directorate confirmed its acceptance," Andrei Kartapolov told his fellow MPs, according to the United Russia ruling party. January 25.

"We all know very well what happened next," added Kartapolov, a former general with close ties to the Ministry of Defense and now heads Russia's parliamentary defense committee.

His statement contradicts Ukrainian military intelligence statements that Russia has not informed them of the flight arrangements.

Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andriy Yusov confirmed on Thursday that in his comments to Radio Svoboda Kyiv did not accept a written or verbal request from Russia to refrain from attacks on the airspace where the plane crashed.

Yusov added that two other Russian military transport planes, An-26 and An-72, were also in the airspace at the time.

"Unfortunately, we can assume various scenarios, including provocations, as well as the use of Ukrainian prisoners as human shields to transport ammunition and weapons for the S-300 system (used in war)," he said.

Meanwhile, fragments that appear to be missiles have been found at the crash site in Russia's southwest Belgorod region near the border with Ukraine, state news agency TASS quoted emergency services as saying on Thursday.

Russia has the only access to the crash site, where TV images show debris strewn across a snowy field. TASS said the plane's black box had been found and would be flown to Moscow for inspection at the Ministry of Defense's laboratory.