Moscow will continue to exchange POWs with Ukraine despite last week’s incident which saw Kiev’s forces shoot down a Russian aircraft carrying Ukrainian soldiers for a prisoner swap, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.
All 65 Ukrainian servicemen on board the Russian Il-76 military transport plane were killed in the crash last Wednesday, as well as the plane’s crew and three Russian military personnel.
“We will not stop the exchanges. We need to get our guys back,” Putin said at a campaign meeting for his reelection bid in the upcoming presidential vote in Russia.
His comments came shortly after the Russian Defense Ministry reported that the two countries have successfully swapped 195 captives from each side. The Russian servicemen will be transported to Moscow for treatment and rehabilitation, the military said in a statement. The ministry also thanked the United Arab Emirates for its mediation and humanitarian efforts in helping to bring Russian soldiers home.
READ MORE: Plane carrying Ukrainian POWs was downed by US-supplied missile – media
Putin also said there are ten times more Ukrainian POWs than the number of Russian servicemen being held by Kiev.
“We have thousands [of Ukrainian POWs] and they have dozens or possibly hundreds [of Russian troops],” he told the meeting.
“We will take our guys back anyway if the Ukrainian side is ready,” the Russian leader said, adding that Kiev has signaled its readiness for such exchanges.
The Russian Il-76 military transport aircraft went down in Russia’s Belgorod Region on January 24. Moscow has accused Ukrainian forces of downing the aircraft with a surface-to-air missile. It has also claimed that Kiev’s military intelligence agency, the GUR, knew that Ukrainian POWs were aboard the plane.
The Russian Il-76 military transport aircraft went down in Russia’s Belgorod Region on January 24. Moscow has accused Ukrainian forces of downing the aircraft with a surface-to-air missile. It has also claimed that Kiev’s military intelligence agency, the GUR, knew that Ukrainian POWs were aboard the plane.
On Wednesday, Putin said Kiev’s troops had used a US-supplied Patriot surface-to-air missile system to down the Russian military transport plane.
“The plane was shot down – this has already been established for sure – by an American Patriot system. An examination has already established this,” the Russian leader stated.
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