02.02.2024, Moscow.
The attack on the Russian IL-76 shot down near Belgorod by a Patriot surface-to-air missile system (SAM) was planned and prepared by Ukraine’s armed units, TASS wrote on February 2, citing information from military agencies.
“There is a concept of ambush in air defense. The SAM was moved to the positional area in advance. The SAM was standing with the radar system switched off,” the source told reporters.
According to the representative of the military agencies, the Patriot complex did not turn on the radar station so as not to give itself away. It did not need to monitor the sky because Ukraine had data on the plane, as Moscow had given them to Kiev while agreeing on the exchange of Ukrainian prisoners on board.
The source told the publication that the Patriot system needed little time for deployment. Having received the command, the Ukrainian militants shot down the Il-76.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on January 31 about the conclusion of the expertise that the plane with Ukrainian prisoners near Belgorod was shot down by the Patriot system. He also noted that Kiev called for an international investigation of the incident. The Russian leader supported this idea.
The Ukrainian armed units shot down the Il-79 on January 24. Six crew members, 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war and three officers of the Russian Armed Forces accompanying them were killed in the crash.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
