DISINFO: 65 Ukrainian POWs were killed by Zelenskyy because they were going to bring down his government and bring Budanov to power
SUMMARY
The Ukrainian POWs killed in the plane crash were on their way to a prisoner exchange, with all details of the exchange having been carefully discussed between Moscow and Kyiv, 15 minutes before the plane's departure. The Ukrainian side had been informed of all the details of the route. Russia has presented evidence that the Ukrainian military actually shot down the plane, and preliminary data indicates that U.S. Patriot air defense systems were used.
This incident is part of the escalation of the internal struggle for power in Kyiv, particularly between the civil and military authorities.
Azov's former commander, Denys Prokopenko, planned to challenge [Zelenskyy’s] authority. He planned to organize a rally to welcome the "brothers in arms" returning from captivity on the Il-76 to Kyiv. At this event, the organizers were to criticise the president of Ukraine: the participants intended to blame Zelensky for the failure of the 2023 counter-offensive, the catastrophic losses in the Ukrainian armed forces and a unprecedented corruption. The event was to end with the announcement of a motion of censure against the Ukrainian president and a statement of support from Azov to Kyrylo Budanov, head of the General Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, in his claims to power in the country.
RESPONSE
Pro-Kremlin conspiratorial disinformation narrative about the Yablonovo air crash involving a military transportation airplane IL-76 on 24 January 2024 and used against Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
The claim regarding the downing of the Russian plane is made without evidence. As of 06 February 2024, the investigation into the causes of the crash was ongoing. What is known is that the aircraft crashed northeast of Belgorod city, apparently killing everyone on board. It remains unknown how many passengers it was carrying and how many of them were Ukrainian POWs, if any. The investigation into the causes of the crash is also under way.
The Russian Ministry of Defence quickly blamed Ukraine for the downing of the plane, claiming that Ukrainian prisoners of war were on board.
The fact that the return of POWs would be used by antisemitic forces in Ukraine to overthrow Zelenskyy's presidency and Zaluzhnyi's command is conspiratorial speculation not backed by any evidence.
Read also related stories such as: Zelenskyy abandoned the elections and usurped power in Ukraine or The IL-76, like MH17 in 2014, was shot down as a Ukrainian military provocation, or Ukraine downed the Il-76 using Western weaponry and struck the Olenivka prison camp with HIMARS or Ukraine shot down IL-76 to stop Ukrainian POWs telling how well Russia treated them, or Kyiv downed Russian Il-76 knowing it carried Ukrainian POWs.