It's been a year since Moscow accused Kiev of shooting down Russian troops carrying dozens of Ukrainian prisoners. Ukraine has launched an investigation but has not yet released its findings, leaving questions about who was killed and why.
The crash of an IL-76 transport plane in Russia's Belgorod region near the border with Ukraine has triggered a series of accusations at a sensitive moment for Kiev.
Russian officials called it a “terrorist” law and called an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council. Ukrainian officials did not confirm or deny shooting the plane and said they could not confirm that Ukrainian prisoners were on board. American officials later assessed that Ukrainian forces used U.S.-made Patriot missiles to shoot it down, believing it was carrying Russian missiles and ammunition.
“We have a lot of questions about the situation,” Sofia Sobolyeva, who believes her father was on the plane, said in a recent interview.
Here's what we know about the crash one year later, as the prisoners' families are still waiting for answers.
conflicting accounts
Russia's Ministry of Defense said on January 24, 2024, one of its military transports was shot down on its way to Belgorod for a prisoner exchange. The plane was said to be carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners, none of whom survived the crash.
Initially, Ukraine claimed the right to target Russian military transport planes in border areas that were the scene of the 2022 invasion and were subsequently used to carry out attacks. At the time of the crash, deadly Russian missile strikes were hitting Kharkiv across the Ukrainian border. Kiev emphasized the need to thwart those attacks.
But soon, Ukraine's military intelligence service revealed the possibility of a tragic mistake, without directly admitting that Ukraine did not bring down the plane, but provided an explanation for how it happened. suggested. Ukrainian officials said the IL-76, which is often used to carry cargo, was previously used to supply ammunition and missiles.
Government agencies admitted on January 24 that a prisoner swap was planned, but Russia warned Ukraine that prisoners were being taken to Belgorod airport, as in the case of previous exchanges. He said that he had not done so. Russian officials disputed the account, saying the Ukrainian military had been informed.
The divergent claims demonstrate the persistent lack of clarity that became a defining feature of the war. Both sides have promoted favorable narratives over the nearly three-year battle and have been reluctant to disclose or acknowledge setbacks.
call for investigation
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for his country's intelligence agency to determine what happened and for an international investigation into the crash. He accused Russia of “playing with the lives of Ukrainian prisoners, the feelings of loved ones and the feelings of our society.”
Ukraine's domestic intelligence agency has launched an investigation into the incident.
Russian officials said the plane crashed in a snowy field near a settlement in the Kolachansky district. It was not possible to visit the crash site. Ukraine requested that the Red Cross and the United Nations be granted access.
Satellite images and unverified Russian video captured what Russia described as the plane's crash site and what appeared to be debris in the area, but the images failed to identify the passengers.
Ukrainian officials asked for patience from citizens while they investigated Moscow's claims.
identify the victim
Prisoner exchanges occurred regularly during the war, even during heavy fighting. However, Ukrainian authorities typically do not disclose the names of those scheduled to be released before the exchange, even to their families.
Russian authorities did not identify the crash victims when they announced it. However, the names of the 65 prisoners on board were shared on social media by the editor of RT, Russia's state media broadcaster.
A few days later, the Ukrainian government agency overseeing the prisoners confirmed that the names on the list matched those scheduled to be exchanged on the day of the crash. However, the agency said there was no evidence to confirm those prisoners were on the plane or even that they were dead.
Sofia Sobolyeva said that it was around that time. Her family said they received a call from the military requesting a meeting. Ms. Sobolyeva's father had been a prisoner of war in Russia since March 2022, shortly after the start of the war, and his name was on the list.
“They gathered us together and explained the situation, but they didn't answer any questions,” she said. Authorities pledged to investigate “quickly,” she said, and asked relatives to submit DNA.
case break
The case fell from the headlines for several months. The exchange of bodies in early November was the first sign of a potential break.
The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed the existence of the relocation of the site on November 8th. According to Russia, the transfer included the bodies of 65 people killed in the collapse of IL-76, but the claim could not be independently verified.
“The ICRC did not participate in the identification process,” the agency said in a response to questions this week, adding that the agency stands ready to assist with technical support.
Sobolyeva said 65 families who formed a WhatsApp group learned about the relocation and were told by Ukrainian authorities that “we needed DNA expertise.”
unanswered questions
Ukraine's prosecutors and security services did not respond to questions from The New York Times about the status of the investigation or whether the bodies had been identified.
However, there appears to be little controversy as to who brought down the plane.
Russia's Defense Ministry accused the Ukrainian military of launching a missile from Ukraine's nearby Kharkiv region that hit the plane. An American official briefed on the incident said that Ukraine used Patriot air defense missiles to disembark the plane.
Although Ukraine has not formally accepted responsibility, Sobolieva said that is beside the point now.
“Logically I understand that Ukraine shot it down,” she said.
What she's less sure about is whether the family has answers to other questions. How it happened and why.
She described her father as a kind man with “golden hands” – able to fix anything that was broken – and who loved gardening.
“There was a lot of stress and tears, but I still can't understand what happened,” Sobolyeva said in a recent evening.
“Now,” she added. “I feel warm mentally and physically because I'm wearing his black hat.”
