Kremlin Confirms Ukraine Was Notified About POW Carrier Plane, Russia Calls Western Missiles

Illushin IL-76 aircraft illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Alexander Yamampolsky)

JAKARTA - The Kremlin confirmed that the Ukrainian side had been notified of a prisoner of war (POW) transport aircraft, while senior Russian diplomats said the missile used could have been made in the United States (US) or Germany.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ukraine had been told in advance that there were prisoners of war on board the Ilyushin Il-76 who were shot down by Ukrainian soldiers in the Belgorod Region, in an interview with Izvestia.

"Here I suggest that we be guided by information coming from our side. Our representative said the information had been given at the right time," Peskov said, quoted by TASS on January 26.

He further said the way the exchange was made was kept secret.

"This is something that should not be published and should not be published anywhere. Therefore, perhaps in order to continue this process, we should not discuss all these details now," added Peskov.

He added that investigators had handled the case.

"We know that black boxes have been found, we know the holes from the impact elements have been found in the remains of the fuselage. Therefore, investigators must determine what types of fragmentation and what types of weapons," Peskov concluded.

Separately, the First Deputy Russian Permanent Representative at the United Nations, Dmitry Polyansky, said that if US-made surface-to-air missile systems or Germany were used for attacks on Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft carrying confirmed POWs, Western countries would be involved in crimes committed by the Kyiv Government.

"According to preliminary investigations, the Ukrainian armed forces carried out this terrorist attack using an anti-aircraft missile system. The missile was launched from Liptsy village in the Kharkov region," the Russian diplomat said.

"This could be an American Patriot missile or a German-made Iris-T missile. If true, this would put Western ammunition suppliers involved in this crime. Just like they were involved in shootings in peaceful environments in Russian cities armed with Western weapons," he said.