After the downing of the Russian Il-76 plane in the Belgorod region, the Ukrainian prisoners of war who, according to reports, were supposed to be on board, remain a mystery. The head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, pointed out the lack of new data during the national telethon.
"We still do not know anything new about this event. It is not known whether there were Ukrainian prisoners of war on board, or whether there was an exchange of prisoners, as claimed by the Russian mass media," he emphasized.
Budanov emphasized that there is insufficient evidence to support Russia's claim that Ukraine was involved in this event. He noted that the absence of bodies and Russia's refusal to admit international experts indicate the concealment of certain circumstances.
Regarding the international investigation of the situation with the plane and the exchange of prisoners, Ukraine continues to insist on its conduct. The SBU has launched an investigation into the downing of the plane, but Russia has not responded to requests for the return of the bodies of the dead. The former secretary of the National Security Council, Oleksiy Danilov, also stated that there were no Ukrainian prisoners of war on board the plane that crashed in Russia.
