Putin says US-made Patriot missile used to shoot down POW plane

MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Jan 31 that a US-made Patriot missile was used to shoot down a plane carrying captured Ukrainian soldiers.

A Russian Il-76 cargo plane crashed on Jan 24, with the Russian authorities saying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war were on board.

“The plane was shot down, it has already been established for certain, by an American Patriot system. This has already been established by forensics,” Mr Putin said in a televised appearance on Jan 31.

There was no immediate response from Kyiv or Washington to Mr Putin’s remarks.

In previous statements and comments, Ukrainian officials have not outright denied Russia’s version of events, but questioned whether the plane really was carrying Ukrainian POWs.

Mr Putin also said Russia was “insisting” on an international investigation into the downing of the plane, but said “there are no international organisations willing” to take part.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also called for an international investigation, but said it would likely be hampered as Russia has full control over access to the crash site.

Patriots are guided surface-to-air missiles that can be used to target aircraft or defensively to take out incoming missiles.

The United States agreed to send Patriot missile systems to Ukraine at the end of 2022 after months of requests from Kyiv. REUTERS