Ukrainian servicemen who, as the Russian side claimed, were planned for the exchange and who were allegedly killed in the crash of an Il-76 military transport plane in the Belgorod region a week ago, were not present during the exchange, which took place on January 31.
DIU says Russia misled Ukraine about POWs
The Ukrainian service members specified by Russia from the list of passengers of the Russian Il-76 plane, which crashed over the Belgorod region on January 24, were not present during the exchange on January 31.
The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) speaker Andrii Yusov reported this in a comment to "Voice of America".
As reported, on the morning of Wednesday, January 24, an Il-76 plane crashed near the Russian city of Belgorod, on board of which, according to Russian mass media, Ukrainian prisoners of war may have been.
The DIU stated that they do not have reliable information about who exactly was on board the Russian Il-76 aircraft and believe that the situation may indicate deliberate actions by Russia aimed at creating a threat to the lives and safety of prisoners. At the same time, the DIU confirmed that an exchange of prisoners was supposed to occur on January 24, but it did not happen.
DIU states that Ukraine fulfilled all the arrangements for the exchange preparation, and the Russian capture service members were delivered on time to the agreed point for the exchange, where they were safe.
At the same time, the Ukrainian side was not informed about the need to ensure the security of the airspace in the area of the city of Belgorod in a certain period of time, as was done repeatedly in the past. Ukraine was not informed about the number of vehicles, routes and forms of delivery of prisoners, — said the DIU speaker.
Ukraine returns Azovstal defenders
On January 31, 207 Ukrainians were freed from Russian captivity, almost half of whom were the defenders of Mariupol.
The coordination headquarters also officially confirmed that junior sergeant Zakhar was rescued from Russian captivity.
He fell into the hands of Russian terrorists together with his wife Tatyana after the evacuation from Azovstal in May 2022.
It is important to understand that in the first 6 months the woman was exchanged and returned to Ukraine. Tatyana settled with her two daughters in Dnipro. However, on January 14, the Russians hit a high-rise building where the family lived with a rocket. The defender died under the rubble together with her younger daughter and her husband's mother. Ruslana's eldest 19-year-old daughter is waiting for her father's return today.
In addition, the medics who saved their fellow citizens and civilians at the Mariupol Metallurgical Plant and Azovstal in superhuman conditions are returning home.
