According to the serial number of the means of destruction, their origin can be traced, experts are sure
According to the serial number of the missile, the fragments of which were found at the crash site of the Russian Il-76 aircraft, it is possible to determine which country supplied it to Ukraine, experts interviewed by Izvestia believe. Earlier on February 1, the Investigative Committee of Russia stated that the plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war was shot down from the American Patriot anti-aircraft missile system. The agency also published the serial number of the guided missile — MIM-104A. According to the UK, the Western origin of the means of destruction is indicated by the fragments of shells and mechanisms found, as well as traces of rdx with impurities of octogen. And sources in the operational services did not rule out that the calculation of the Patriot air defense system that attacked the Il-76 most likely included American specialists.
Patriot
During the investigation of the wreckage of the Russian Il-76 aircraft carrying Ukrainian prisoners, traces of rdx with impurities of up to 10% octogen were found — they are characteristic of explosives of foreign manufacture. There were also inscriptions and markings in English on the found fragments of the hulls and mechanisms of the two missiles. All this leads to the conclusion that the plane was shot down by two missiles from the American Patriot anti-aircraft missile system, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation reported on February 1.
Photo: RF IC
Image source: iz.ru
"According to the conclusion of the examinations conducted during the investigation, the fragments seized from the scene, according to their design features, geometric characteristics and available markings, are structural elements of the MIM-104A anti—aircraft guided missile of the Patriot complex of the USA, developed by Raytheon and Hughes corporations and manufactured by Raytheon," the UK stated.
According to the serial number, you can find out the place and year of production of the missile, where it was delivered, and then understand from which Patriot complex our plane was attacked, military expert Alexey Leonkov told Izvestia. And this information can be obtained, even if it is classified, because our "intelligence is not asleep."
Another military expert, captain of the first rank of the reserve Vasily Dandykin, holds the same opinion. He recalled that earlier, in the same way, the serial number was used to determine who owned the Tochka-U rocket that fell at the Kramatorsk railway station in the spring of 2022.
The RF IC at the location of the wreckage of the presumably anti-aircraft guided missile MIM-104A complex Patriot USA
Image source: Photo: RF IC
— Then, too, everything was written: when they put it on, what batch, what year. This time there were two rockets. They beat from under cover. We used the Patriot air defense system because it is the only NATO complex that allows us to strike from a long range," he explained.
Both experts agreed that the strike by Ukrainian militants on the Russian Il-76 aircraft in the Belgorod region was not an accident.
Earlier on February 1, TASS, citing a source in the operational services, reported that the calculation of the Patriot air defense system that attacked the Il-76 with Ukrainian prisoners was most likely mixed — it included both Ukrainians and American specialists.
"There are mixed calculations, there are Ukrainians in lower positions. Western specialists, including Americans, are sitting at the controls and missile guidance stations," the agency interlocutor said.
The reaction of the world community
On the eve of January 31, Vladimir Putin, at a meeting with his confidants, said that the West was trying to hush up the story of the crash. According to him, there are no publications on this topic in the media, the information field was cleared as if by a click.
— Officially, I say: we ask you to send international experts and conduct this analysis, evaluate the available physical evidence that the plane was shot down by the Patriot system, — said the head of state.
Vladimir Putin at a meeting with his confidants on January 31, 2024
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Grigory Sysoev
John Varoli, a political scientist and ex-journalist of The New York Times, told Izvestia on January 25 that the order to shoot down the plane was probably given by NATO officers. He noted that this could be revenge on the part of the alliance countries for the recent death of French mercenaries in Kharkiv.
First there was the missile threat
On the morning of January 24, a missile threat was announced in the Belgorod region. According to the publications of Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov in his Telegram channel, it operated from 11:12 to 11:43 Moscow time. Later, eyewitnesses of the Il-76 crash said that they heard three explosions, and then felt a strong vibration in the room where they were at that moment.
Ukrainian media initially reported that the plane was deliberately shot down by the forces of the VFU with a Patriot air defense missile, since the General Staff of Ukraine claimed that the board was allegedly carrying ammunition for the S-300. However, later they tried to remove all mentions of this from the media and social networks.
The wreckage of the IL-76 aircraft at the crash site near the village of Yablonovo, Korochansky district
Image source: Photo: RF IC
It was not the first time the IL-76 was used to transport prisoners of war, and Kiev knew who was on board. Following the downed side, a second Il-76 was flying, which transported 80 more prisoners, it was urgently deployed to the departure airport.
Prisoner of war exchanges have been conducted regularly since the beginning of the special military operation. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, in 2023 and early 2024, about 800 Russian servicemen returned home as a result of the exchanges. According to Kiev, about 730 prisoners have returned to Ukraine.
Julia Leonova