Russia shows images of alleged plane crash site during UN Security Council
During the UN Security Council meeting requested by Russia on the plane crash that took place on Wednesday in the Russian region of Belgorod, the first images of the alleged site where the Russian transport plane crashed were released. The images were shown by the Russian Investigative Committee, which is responsible for the Russian authorities’ investigation into the accident.
A video of about 40 seconds shows images of fallen trees and a piece of metal. The aircraft itself, which is almost 50 meters long, cannot be seen in the images. Debris and possible human remains can be seen on the ground. According to the French news agency AFP, it cannot be determined where or when the images were recorded.
Accusations
The crash of the Ilyushin Il-76 has led to recriminations between Russia and Ukraine. According to Russia, the plane was downed by a Ukrainian-made anti-aircraft missile fired from the ground. There are also said to have been 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war on board, on their way to an exchange with Russian prisoners of war. “All the information we have today shows that we are dealing with a planned, well-thought-out crime,” said Russian Ambassador to the UN Dmitry Poliansky.
Kyiv denies shooting the plane out of the sky and also doubts whether there were Ukrainian prisoners of war on board. “Ukraine was not informed about how the prisoners were transported,” said UN Deputy Ambassador Chrystyna Hajovysjyn. She said it was “a deliberate action by Russia to endanger the lives and safety of the prisoners.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday he wanted an international investigation into the crash. No evidence has yet been provided to support the accusations made by either country. The black boxes of the device have now been recovered, reports the Russian state news agency Ria Novosti.
Also read: What is known about the crash of a Russian military aircraft near Belgorod?
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This blog will follow NRC the war in Ukraine. Read our previous blog here.