Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Ukraine used the United States (U.S.) Patriot air defense system to shoot down a Russian Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane in the Belgorod region last week, in an incident that Moscow claims killed all 74 people on board.
Putin also said that Russia, like Ukraine, wanted an international investigation into the incident.
Moscow accuses Kiev of shooting down the Ilyushin Il-76 plane and killing 74 people on board, including 65 captured Ukrainian soldiers who it said were on their way to be exchanged for Russian prisoners of war.
Ukraine neither confirmed nor denied that it shot down the plane and demanded proof of who was on the plane.
“The plane was shot down, and it was definitely done by the U.S. Patriot system, and this has already been established by expert analysis,” Putin stated.
“We insist that an international investigation be carried out. No international organization is willing to do that,” he added, saying that Russia was officially requesting such an investigation.
He also said that Ukraine fired two missiles at the plane, Slobodna Evropa reports.
E.Dz.
