Putin Claims U.S. Shot Down Russian Military Plane
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that an Ilyushin (IL)-76 military transport plane carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war and others crashed near the Russian border and was shot down by an American-made Patriot missile system.
According to RIA Novosti, Putin stated on the 31st (local time) during a meeting with his presidential campaign representatives that Ukraine used the American Patriot missile system to shoot down the military transport plane.
If this claim is true, it would mean that the West violated the condition of limiting the use of weapons provided to Ukraine for strikes on Russian territory.
On the 24th, the IL-76 transport plane crashed in Belgorod, Russia, near the Ukrainian border.
The plane was carrying 74 people, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war who were to be exchanged with Russian prisoners, and Russian crew members, all of whom Russia claims have died.
After analyzing the voice and flight data recorder recovered from the cockpit of the crashed plane, it was revealed that the plane was shot down in the air after receiving external shock.
However, instead believe it was shot down by a Russian missile, Ukraine expressed its position as they are not sure if their prisoners were on the crashed plane as Russia claims.
Meanwhile, amidst the dispute over the military transport plane crash, an exchange of 195 prisoners took place on the same day.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced that each side exchanged 195 prisoners, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also reported that 207 of his countrymen, including prisoners, have returned home.
By. Mi Ri Seon
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