In response to a question, the president and candidate for the Russian presidency pointed out that it was determined with certainty that the aircraft was shot down by a Patriot air defense system transferred by the United States to Ukraine.

“As for the fact that they shot down the plane carrying their soldiers, it can be assumed that they did it accidentally. That is a crime, in any case. In this case, if so, it is a crime of negligence. There is such a term legal,” the Russian president added.

“The Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case under the Terrorism article. The legal evaluation of the Investigation Commission is its professional duty. They know what they are doing and if there is a definite reason for it,” he noted.

Putin recalled that it was not the first time that the Ukrainian Armed Forces eliminated its soldiers. On one occasion, they bombed and killed some of their soldiers who were under our control in our territory, he concluded.

On January 24, the Ukrainian Armed Forces shot down a Russian IL-76 military plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners to be exchanged over the region of Belgorod.

All 74 people on board were killed, including 65 Ukrainian soldiers. The Russian Defense Ministry described the incident as an attack and stressed that Ukraine was aware that the prisoners were transported to be exchanged and that it attacked the aircraft to accuse Moscow of eliminating the Ukrainian soldiers.

jg/jav/mem/gfa