IL-76 crash in Belgorod region: DNA from most remains returned by Russia matches that of their relatives.

In an interview with "Ukrinform," the head of the Secretariat of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, Bohdan Okhrimenko, spoke about this.

On December 9, the Russian side indeed handed over 62 bodies to Ukraine. However, Okhrimenko states that it is currently impossible to determine with certainty whether the individuals whose bodies Kyiv received were on the plane during the air crash.

This case is currently under investigation by the Security Service of Ukraine.

What is known about the Il-76 crash?

On the morning of January 24, Russian media reported that an Il-76 plane crashed in the Belgorod region. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that there were allegedly 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war on board being transported for exchange, along with 6 crew members and 3 escorts.

At the same time, Ukrainian media, citing sources, asserted that the Il-76 was transporting missiles for S-300 systems, which the Russians use to shell the Kharkiv region.

Ukrainian intelligence confirmed that on January 24, an exchange of prisoners was being prepared between Russia and Ukraine. Subsequently, they reported that Russia did not notify of the transportation of Ukrainian prisoners to the exchange point by plane and that there is no reliable and comprehensive information about who was on the Russian Il-76.

Intelligence representative Andriy Yusov stated that only 5 bodies were delivered to the morgue in Belgorod after the plane crash. This matches the number of crew members. He also mentioned that Russian military-political VIP representatives were supposed to be on board, but at the last moment, Russian special services prohibited them from boarding the plane.

On January 31, a large prisoner exchange took place, during which 207 Ukrainians returned to Ukraine. However, none of the released soldiers were those allegedly transported by the Il-76.