Oleg Davygora22:56, 01/26/24
The interviewed relatives of the fighters from the mentioned list, having familiarized themselves with the video materials shown by Russian propagandists allegedly from the scene of the plane crash, have not yet found any special signs on the published fragments of bodies that would point to their relatives.
During the planned exchange of prisoners on January 24, 65 Ukrainian defenders of Ukraine from the list that was distributed by Russian propagandists after the Il-79 accident in the Russian Federation were supposed to return to Ukraine. This was reported by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War on Facebook.
During a meeting with relatives and friends of Ukrainian prisoners of war, the secretary of the coordination headquarters, Dmitry Usov, said that the Russian side responded to repeated requests with a great delay, citing one of the lists previously published on Russian propaganda resources.
“The coordination headquarters, for its part, confirms that 65 Ukrainian defenders from this list were indeed planned to be returned to Ukraine as part of the planned exchange on January 24,” the statement said.
It is noted that the interviewed relatives of the Ukrainian defenders from the mentioned list, having familiarized themselves with the video materials shown by Russian propagandists allegedly from the site of the air crash, have not yet found any special signs on the published fragments of bodies that would point to their relatives.
Representatives of the coordination headquarters emphasized that the families of prisoners of war will be informed about the fate of their relatives as soon as the authorized bodies have clear and reliable information on this matter.
The head of the Coordination Staff, Kirill Budanov, emphasized that there is now no reliable and comprehensive information about who could actually be on board the said aircraft.
“We are collecting and carefully analyzing all available information on this matter from many sources. There is no information yet indicating that so many people could have been on that plane. At the same time, the Russian propaganda version that the said Il-76M could transport 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war for exchange still raises many questions,” noted the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the MOU.
Exchange failed on January 24 – details
A representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Andrei Yusov, said that the prisoner exchange that was disrupted on January 24 should have been one of the largest during a full-scale war.
Regarding the alleged “lists” of Ukrainian prisoners of war on board the Il-76, which were published by Russian propagandists, Yusov then noted that all information from all sources was being studied. There is also communication with the families of prisoners.
“The lists that appear through Russian propaganda sources appear in order to test the reaction, to provoke a reaction. We will not comment on them,” the GUR representative emphasized.
At the same time, he noted that if Russia wants to officially release the lists publicly, through structures that relate to direct work with prisoners of war – the Ministry of Defense, intelligence services, the Humanitarian Headquarters, and other structures – then there will be official comments.
(C)UNIAN 2024