Russia releases video of 'Ukrainian prisoners boarding crashed Il-76'

Russian investigators released a video of "Ukrainian prisoners of war boarding an Il-76 plane", saying it was the transport plane that crashed in Belgorod province.

Video released by the Russian Investigative Committee (SKR) on January 26 shows a convoy of seven vehicles approaching an Il-76 transport plane parked on the runway, but the aircraft's registration number is unknown.

"Images of Ukrainian prisoners being loaded onto an Il-76 that crashed in Belgorod province," SKR said. The agency did not specify when and where the video was recorded.

Russia releases video of 'Ukrainian prisoners boarding downed Il-76' — "Ukrainian prisoners of war" board a Russian Il-76 transport plane in a video released on January 26. Video: *SKR*

Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's human rights official, dismissed the documents released by SKR as "anti-Ukrainian propaganda".

Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier commented that Ukraine was "obviously" the one who shot down the Il-76 transport plane carrying prisoners over Belgorod province. "It is not known whether the enemy acted deliberately or without thinking," Mr Putin said.

"The Ukrainian Military Intelligence Directorate knew in advance that we were transferring 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war to the area. Despite knowing this information, they still shot down the plane. This is a crime," Mr. Putin said.

On January 24, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that an Il-76 transport plane with a crew of six, carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war and three military escorts, was shot down by Ukrainian forces with an anti-aircraft missile launched from Liptsy, Kharkov province. The plane crashed in Belgorod province, killing all on board.

Russia claims Ukraine was informed in advance about the flight path of the crashed Il-76. Ukraine confirmed that there were plans to exchange prisoners with Russia, but was not informed in advance that the prisoners would be transported to the border by plane.

Meanwhile, on January 24, the Ukrainskaya Pravda newspaper quoted a source in the General Staff of the Ukrainian army as saying that the country's air defense shot down the Il-76, adding that it was carrying missiles for Russia's S-300 air defense system in Belgorod. However, this information was later retracted.

Ukraine and Russia have called for an international investigation into the incident. Both sides have opened criminal investigations into the crash of the Il-76 plane "carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war".

Russia has not yet released the full identities of those on board the Il-76. On January 26, SKR posted a video of the bodies and documents of several Ukrainian soldiers, saying they were on the transport plane that crashed two days earlier.