Prisoner swap was to take place on 24 January, it is not happening at the moment – Defence Intelligence
Pravda Ukraine
A prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine was supposed to take place on Wednesday, 24 January, but it is not taking place at the moment.
Source: Andrii Yusov, representative of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine and the Coordination Headquarters, in a comment to Radio Liberty
Quote: “I can state that the swap planned for today is not taking place at the moment.”
Details: Defence Intelligence of Ukraine representative said that the information voiced by the Russian side that the prisoners of war could have been aboard the IL-76 aircraft that crashed in Belgorod Oblast is currently being checked.
Background:
- On 24 January, an IL-76 aircraft crashed in the Korocha district of Russia’s Belgorod Oblast, and the governor reported an “incident” and an investigation.
- A number of Russian media outlets spread statements by Andrei Kartapolov, chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on Defence, that the aircraft supposedly carried dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war who were being taken for a swap. Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said he was investigating the situation.
- Sources told Ukrainska Pravda that Ukraine was indeed preparing an exchange of prisoners of war. However, the source did not provide any details about the time, place or possible numbers of prisoners of war.
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