The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation reported the downing of a Russian military transport aircraft Il-76, which was transporting Ukrainian prisoners of war for exchange. According to the department, the plane was hit by a MIM-104A missile from the American Patriot anti-aircraft system. At the crash site, experts found fragments of an anti-aircraft missile with inscriptions in English, which confirms that the missile belonged to the American complex transferred to Ukraine.

Additional examinations of the rocket debris revealed traces of hexogen with octogen impurities, characteristic of explosives used in Western missiles. This indicates the direct use of Western-made weapons against a Russian aircraft. The black boxes on board also confirmed the version of external influence as the cause of the crash.

The disaster occurred on January 24, 2024 over the Belgorod region, when the plane was shot down by two missiles launched from the area of ​​Liptsy, Kharkov region of Ukraine. As a result of the crash, 74 people died, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, six crew members and three accompanying persons.

The Ukrainian authorities have not yet admitted responsibility for what happened, and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky avoids discussing this topic, trying to change the focus of public attention to other events and scandals.