Russians claim downing of Il-76 plane disrupted prisoner exchange, Ukrainian POW Headquarters issue statement

Following the downing of a Russian Il-76 transport aircraft in the Russian Federation's Belgorod Oblast, a number of Russian media outlets cited Andrei Kartapolov, chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on Defence. He claimed that the plane contained dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war who had been taken for exchange, and Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets stated that he was looking into the situation.

Source: BBC Russian service; Russian state-owned news agency RBK; Russian Telegram channels; Governor of Belgorod Oblast Vyacheslav Gladkov; Dmytro Lubinets, Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights and the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War on Telegram

Details: Russian propaganda media almost simultaneously disseminated Kartapolov's claim that the plane was carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war and was allegedly "shot down by three Patriot or IRIS-T missiles."

The Russian official made the statement during a meeting of Russia's State Duma, but did not specify where he obtained the information.

He also claimed that the prisoners of war were transported by planes, with the other Il-76 carrying 80 prisoners allegedly turning around after the first plane crashed in Belgorod Oblast.

Kartapolov also stated that the parties were preparing an exchange in the "192 for 192" format, but added that prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine "will probably be put on pause."

Kartapolov Quote: "Today, there was to be a 192-for-192 exchange. The first plane carried 65 people, while the second carried the others."

Ukrainska Pravda attempted to obtain comments from Dmytro Lubinets, his press service, and a representative of the Ombudsman's Office, Oleksandr Kononenko, but they did not return any calls, and messages were not read.

Later, Lubinets and the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War stated on Telegram that they were investigating this information.

Quote from Ukraine’s Ombudsman: "As the Ukrainian Parliament's Commissioner for Human Rights, I am currently investigating the incident and analysing the information I have gathered. I urge Ukrainian media representatives and citizens to avoid jumping to conclusions and instead rely solely on official sources. I also ask that you do not spread false information. The enemy is devious. And we all know what terrible methods Russia can employ to destabilise Ukrainian society. Don't be fooled by provocations."

Details: He promised to provide more detailed information later.

The coordination headquarters also stated that it gathers and analyses all relevant data, along with other institutions.

"Before authorised persons or bodies issue official statements or comments, we urge the media and citizens to refrain from disseminating unverified information.

We emphasise that the enemy is actively carrying out information special operations against Ukraine, aimed at destabilising Ukrainian society," said the Coordination Headquarters.

According to sources at Ukrainska Pravda, Ukraine was indeed preparing an exchange of prisoners of war. However, the publication's contact provided no information about the time, location, or estimated number of prisoners of war.

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