Examinations have confirmed nearly 50 DNA matches between the remains of Ukrainian prisoners of war and 62 bodies that Russia claimed were from the Il-76 plane crash in January 2024.
Bohdan Okhrimenko, Head of the Secretariat of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, explained this in an interview with Ukrinform.
“Indeed, in December we received 62 bodies. The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) is conducting an investigation in this matter. From the families who have contacted the Coordination Headquarters, we know of nearly 50 preliminary DNA matches of the remains handed over by the Russians with those of the relatives,” he said.
“We received from the Russian side, according to their narrative, the remains of bodies that were supposedly on the plane, but currently, the Coordination Headquarters has no evidence that they were actually there,” Okrimenko added.
As reported by Ukrinform, in early 2024, the Il-76 plane crashed in Russia’s Belgorod region, with Russia alleging that 65 Ukrainian POWs on board were being transported for an exchange. In December, the Coordination Headquarters reported that remains believed to be from this crash had been returned as part of repatriation efforts.
Source: Il-76 crash: DNA tests confirm nearly 50 matches of Ukrainian POW remains
