Kremlin spokesman says international probe into Belgorod plane crash should focus on Ukraine’s ‘criminal actions’

Speaking to journalists on Thursday, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov reiterated earlier Russian allegations that the Il-76 military transport plane that crashed in the Belgorod region on Wednesday contained Ukrainian POWs and was shot down by Ukraine.

“The fact that the Ukrainians killed their own prisoners, their citizens, who were supposed to be home within literally just a day, is a completely heinous act, of course,” Peskov said, adding that “no one can say” how the incident will affect future prisoner exchanges.”

The Putin spokesman also commented on statements made by Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday evening in which the Ukrainian president said that Kyiv will insist on an international investigation into the crash. “If he means an international investigation into the criminal actions of the Kyiv regime, then that’s absolutely necessary,” Peskov said.

He went on to say that the Kremlin is currently awaiting the results of an investigation into the incident by Russian military personnel. “At the moment, what happened is not fully clear; investigators only began studying the remains of the plane yesterday,” he said.