According to Russian investigators, evidence suggests that last week, Ukraine’s military used U.S.-made Patriot surface-to-air missiles to shoot down a Russian Il-76 military transport plane. The incident occurred on Jan. 24 when the Russian Air Force Il-76 crashed, resulting in the deaths of all 74 people on board, including 65 captured Ukrainian soldiers en route to be exchanged for Russian prisoners of war. Russia has accused Kyiv of being responsible for the downing of the plane.
The investigators released footage of body parts which they said proved that those aboard the plane were Ukrainian military personnel. Kyiv, engaged in a conflict with Russian forces in Ukraine, has not confirmed or denied involvement in the incident, and has called for an international investigation while also challenging details of Moscow’s account.
The Russian State Investigative Committee claimed that Ukrainian soldiers in the area of Lyptsi in the Kharkiv region had fired two missiles at the plane. Among the fragments that were recovered, serial numbers with English acronyms were found, including “CONFIDENTIAL classified by PATRIOT SECURITY CLASSIFICATION GUIDE DATED: 9/22/83 ADDENDUM DATED 11/28/83 8/8/84 CONTRACT NO/DAAH01-86C-A018,” the committee stated.
“The fragments seized from the scene, according to their design features, geometric characteristics and available markings, are structural elements of the MIM-104A anti-aircraft guided missile of the Patriot complex of the United States, developed by Raytheon and Hughes corporations and manufactured by Raytheon,” the committee disclosed. They also published a video showing investigators examining 116 missile fragments on the ground in an unspecified location, with one of the fragments showing the word “ATRIOT” in English.
Another video from the Investigations Committee, believed to have been taken at the crash site, showed officials collecting body fragments in bags for evidence. Tattooed skin was also shown in the video, with Russian authorities claiming that it was checked against DNA and identity records they hold of Ukrainian prisoners of war, which allegedly proved that those killed were Ukrainian soldiers.
Russia announced that it had found Ukrainian identity documents and tattooed body parts at the crash site near the Ukrainian border. Ukraine has not yet responded to the statement by the investigative committee.
(Writing by Felix Light; editing by Guy Faulconbridge, John Davison, Timothy Heritage, Nick Macfie and Christina Fincher)
