For Russian President Vladimir Putin, it is clear that the Il-76 military transport plane that crashed in the border area between Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday was shot down by Ukrainian forces. He said that on Friday.
LOOK. Russia also previously released images of the wreckage of the crashed plane
On Wednesday, an Il-76 transport plane crashed near the Russian village of Yablonovo, 45 kilometers from the border with Ukraine. Russian authorities said the crash killed 74 people, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners being transferred for an exchange with Kiev.
“The intelligence services of the Ukrainian army knew that we had 65 (Ukrainian) soldiers on board. They shot down the plane, accidentally or on purpose, but they did it,” Vladimir Putin told Russian students in his first comments on the crash. “It is certainly a crime,” he added.
Ukraine, which has called for an international investigation, has neither confirmed nor denied that the plane was shot down but appeared to question whether prisoners were indeed on board.
Kiev confirmed a prisoner swap would take place, but said it had not been informed that the prisoners would be flown to the border, as had previously happened.
READ ALSO. ANALYSIS. Why Russia seems to be telling the truth about a shot down plane
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