The Russian president has said he does not understand why Kiev would attack an aircraft carrying its own servicemen
FILE PHOTO: Ukrainian soldiers reload a US-made Patriot air defense system during a training exercise on December 1, 2023. © Global Look Press / Sebastian Gollnow
Kiev’s forces used an air defense system supplied by Washington to attack a Russian aircraft carrying Ukrainian POWs for a pre-scheduled swap, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. The attack, which took place last week, led to the deaths of 65 Ukrainians onboard, as well as the plane’s crew and three Russian military personnel.
“The plane was downed … by a US-made Patriot system,” Putin revealed, calling it a “well established” fact that had been confirmed by a relevant expert review. Russian emergency services had previously suggested that fragments of one or more missiles were found at the aircraft crash site.
Russian investigators have not officially commented on the results of the ongoing probe into the incident. Sources close to the investigation told TASS that an analysis of the plane’s black boxes showed that it was intentionally shot down. Later, one source also told the news agency that it was “highly probable” that a US-supplied Patriot surface-to-air missile system was used in the attack.
Last week, a French military source told the nation’s state broadcaster Radio France that Kiev’s forces used a Patriot missile to down the plane. The Russian Defense Ministry accused the Ukrainian military of being behind the attack soon after the incident, adding that Kiev was well aware of the fact that the aircraft was carrying Ukrainian captives.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky on Wednesday disputed Moscow’s claim and called for an international probe into the incident. On Wednesday, Putin also said that Russia would seek an international investigation into the downed aircraft.
“I state this officially: We ask for international experts to be deployed [here] to conduct an analysis, assess the existing material evidence of the fact that the plane was downed by the Patriot system,” he insisted.
The Russian leader also said he did not understand why the Ukrainian military would even do something like this. “I do not know. I do not understand [it],” he commented, when asked about his take on the issue, adding that “one can assume they did it by accident.” The move constitutes a “crime in any case,” the Russian president maintained, adding that it would then be classified as murder by negligence.
According to Putin, the attack might have also been a provocation aimed at prompting some sort of response from Russia. Moscow would not stop POW exchanges with Kiev, he clarified, arguing that Russia wants its “guys back” and would try to bring them home as long as Ukraine agrees to such swaps.
