Ukraine says Russia blocking international investigation into downed ‘POW flight’

Russia said it had started analysing the flight recorders of a military plane that it claims was shot down by Ukraine this week, allegedly killing 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) on board, as Kyiv accused the Kremlin of blocking an international investigation into the incident.

Ukraine has not confirmed that it shot down the Il-76 over Russia’s border region of Belgorod on Wednesday, and says Moscow has presented no proof of its claim that the plane was carrying Ukrainian captives to a prisoner swap that was due to take place that day.

Instead, Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency and other officials have pointed out apparent holes in Russia’s story, and said that if Moscow was indeed transporting POWs on the plane then it should have sent advance notice to Kyiv and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which acts as a mediator in such prisoner exchanges.

“The date and voice recorders were delivered to a laboratory of the (Russian) ministry of defence,” an unnamed source in Russia’s security services told state news agency Tass. “A commission began working on them, both boxes will be analysed.”

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Russia has sole access to the crash site and the few images to come from the area showed wreckage in a snowy field but no sign of dozens of bodies. GUR says only the remains of five crew members were delivered to a morgue in Belgorod region, suggesting no one else was on board.

Russia’s investigative committee said it had found Ukrainian identity documents at the crash site, and “characteristic tattoos on certain parts of the bodies of the victims. Similar symbols were noted on the bodies of many members of Ukrainian armed units, including the Azov regiment.”

Azov is a Ukrainian brigade that Moscow routinely describes as “neo-Nazi”. The Kremlin claims one of its main aims in Ukraine is to “de-Nazify” the pro-western democracy.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called for an international investigation into the incident. When asked if Russia agreed, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “If he means an international investigation into the criminal actions of the Kyiv regime, then that’s absolutely necessary.”

GUR spokesman Andriy Yusov said Russia “did not provide clear evidence to confirming its version of events. But we can repeat…that we are talking about a military plane that was involved in transporting Russian arms and enemy personnel more than once. And Russia did not inform Ukraine that this plane will transport Ukrainian prisoners of war.

“As for why this plane crashed, then, of course, the demand for an open international commission is logical and justified…At the moment, as far as we hear, Russia rejects the possibility of such a commission,” he added.

Citing two people close to the Kremlin, Bloomberg reported this week that Russian president Vladimir Putin was “putting out feelers” to the US about possible talks to end the war, and might even drop a demand that Ukraine never join Nato.

“No, this is an incorrect report,” Mr Peskov said when asked about it on Friday. “It absolutely does not correspond to reality.”

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