Russia’s Putin says ‘obvious’ Ukraine shot down plane over Belgorod
Al Jazeera
Moscow and Kyiv trade blame after Ilyushin Il-76 plane crashed, reportedly killing 65 Ukrainian POWs said to be on board.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Ukrainian air defences shot down the Russian military plane that crashed near its border with Ukraine this week.
In his first comments about Wednesday’s crash, Putin said that the results of Moscow’s investigation would be published in two to three days, but preliminary results suggested that the missiles that hit the plane were either American or French.
Putin also accused Ukraine of knowing that the Ilyushin Il-76 plane was carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war.
“I don’t know if they did it on purpose or by mistake, but it is obvious that they did it,” Putin said in televised comments on Friday.
“In any case, what happened is a crime. Either through negligence or on purpose, but in any case, it is a crime.”
