Expert tests confirmed that the DNA of the remains of almost 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war matched the 62 bodies that the Russians allegedly handed over from the Il-76 plane that crashed in January 2024.
Points of attention
- Expert tests have confirmed more than 50 DNA matches in the remains of Ukrainian prisoners of war from the Il-76 plane wreckage transferred by Russia.
- The Coordination Headquarters is actively investigating the crash and obtaining information about DNA matches from relatives of the deceased individuals.
- Despite the handover of remains by Russia, there is currently no concrete evidence confirming the presence of the bodies on the Il-76 aircraft that crashed in January 2024.
50 DNA matches found in remains of Ukrainian prisoners of war handed over to Russia
This was reported by Bohdan Okhrimenko, head of the Secretariat of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
Indeed, 62 bodies were returned to us in December. The SBU is conducting an investigation into this case. From families who have contacted the Coordination Headquarters, we know of almost 50 previous matches of the remains handed over by the Russians with the DNA of relatives.
Okhrimenko said that Ukraine received from the Russian side, according to their legend, the remains of bodies that were supposedly on the plane.
But the Coordination Headquarters currently has no evidence that they were there.
Recall that in early 2024, an Il-76 crashed in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation, on which, as the Russian side claimed, there were 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war who were flying for an exchange.
In December, the Coordination Headquarters reported that as part of repatriation measures, the bodies of those believed to have died in this plane crash were returned.
