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Russia says Ukraine shot down a military transport carrying 65 captured Ukrainians. Ukraine has not confirmed its role, identified the bodies it received, or said how it happened.
Jan. 24, 2025, 12:01 a.m. ET
One year has passed since Moscow accused Kyiv of shooting down a Russian military plane carrying dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war. Ukraine opened an investigation, but has yet to release its findings, leaving questions about who was killed, and why.
The crash of the IL-76 transport plane in Belgorod region of Russia, near the border with Ukraine, set off a series of recriminations at a delicate moment for Kyiv, as it lobbied for Western aid to build up its depleted weapons stocks.
Russian officials called it a “terrorist” act and convened an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council. Ukrainian officials did not admit or deny shooting down the aircraft, and said they could not confirm that Ukrainian prisoners were on board. American officials later assessed that it Ukrainian forces had used a U.S.-made Patriot missile to shoot it down, thinking the plane carried Russian missiles and munitions.
“We have many questions about the situation,” Sofia Sobolyeva, who believes her father was on the plane, said in a recent interview.
With the families of the prisoners still awaiting answers, here’s what we know about the crash one year on.
Conflicting Accounts
Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Jan. 24, 2024 that one of its military transports had been shot down while en route to Belgorod for a prisoner swap. It said the plane was carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war and that no one survived the crash.
English (US)