The Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War confirmed that the Russian Federation handed over the bodies of Ukrainian defenders allegedly killed during the crash of the Il-76. However, these remains require additional identification.
Points of attention
- The Russian Federation announced the alleged transfer of bodies of prisoners of war to Ukrainian authorities, but additional identification is required.
- The Coordinating Staff confirmed the return of the remains from Il-76 and indicated the need for an examination to identify the persons.
- The Ukrainian military at the Coordinating Headquarters indicated cooperation with all departments in the matter of identifying the dead.
The Coordinating Staff reacted to the statement of the Russian Federation about the return of the bodies from the IL-76
The Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported that during the last repatriation measures, the remains of the dead were transferred to Ukraine from the aggressor state, which require additional identification.
As of now, expert institutions are establishing as part of the criminal proceedings whether the remains of these persons really belong to Ukrainian servicemen, the Coordinating Staff said.
The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War added that they are monitoring the situation and are in cooperation with all authorized institutions.
By the way, on December 9, Tetyana Moskalkova, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Russian Federation, said that Russia allegedly handed over to Ukraine the bodies of prisoners of war who could have died during the fall of the IL-76 in the Belgorod region on January 24. Moskalkova stated that she was present at the transfer of the bodies.
The crash of Il-76 in the Belgorod region: what is known
On January 24, an Il-76 military transport plane crashed in the Korochan district of the Belgorod region of Russia.
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation stated that there were allegedly 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war on board, who were being taken for exchange. The HUR confirmed that an exchange was being prepared that day.
The head of Ukrainian intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, said that there is currently no reliable and comprehensive information about who could actually be on board.
Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the NSDC, also stated that there were no Ukrainian prisoners of war on board.
