Moscow, Russia (diplomat.so) - Russian investigators announced on Thursday that they possess evidence indicating Ukraine's military used U.S.-made Patriot surface-to-air missiles to shoot down a Russian Il-76 military transport plane last week. The incident, which occurred on Jan. 24, resulted in the downing of the Russian Air Force Il-76, causing the death of all 74 individuals on board, including 65 captured Ukrainian soldiers.
The investigators, from Russia's State Investigative Committee, released footage showcasing body parts allegedly belonging to Ukrainian military personnel aboard the plane. According to the committee, the fragments retrieved from the crash site, including serial numbers with English acronyms, correspond to structural elements of the MIM-104A anti-aircraft guided missile of the Patriot complex, developed by Raytheon and Hughes corporations and manufactured by Raytheon.
A video published by the Investigations Committee displayed officials inspecting missile fragments at an unspecified location, with one fragment bearing the word "ATRIOT" in English. Another video purportedly from the crash site showed officials collecting body fragments, including tattooed skin, which were later identified through DNA and identity records as belonging to Ukrainian soldiers.
Russia claimed to have recovered Ukrainian identity documents and tattooed body parts from the crash site near the Ukrainian border. Kyiv, engaged in conflict with Russian forces in Ukraine, has not explicitly confirmed or denied downing the plane but has challenged Moscow's account and called for an international investigation.
As of now, Ukraine has not issued an immediate response to the statement released by the Russian investigative committee.
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