Names of 65 fallen Ukrainian POWs from Il-76 crash to be forever recorded

This was reported by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War on Telegram, according to Ukrinform.

“Today, we remember with deep sorrow the tragedy in Belgorod region – a bloody crime of the Russian regime that took the lives of 65 compatriots held in enemy captivity,” the statement reads.

The Coordination Headquarters noted that “the death of Ukrainian soldiers on the Il-76 aircraft is an unhealed wound for the entire country and yet another proof that the aggressor state cynically ignores international law. Every name lost on that fateful day is forever inscribed in the history of our struggle.”

“Russia bears full responsibility for the safety of prisoners and for deliberately creating conditions that led to the disaster. Its subsequent attempts to conceal the truth and block an independent international investigation only confirm the insidiousness of this crime,” the headquarters emphasized, expressing condolences to the families and loved ones of the fallen defenders.

As a sign of eternal honor, the names of the 65 soldiers on board the aircraft will be recorded in the Book of Memory of defenders who died in Russian captivity.

“Our duty is to preserve the memory of every soldier and make every effort to hold the enemy accountable for this and other war crimes,” the Coordination Headquarters stressed.

As previously reported by Ukrinform, in early 2024, an Il-76 aircraft crashed in Russia’s Belgorod region, allegedly carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war en route to a prisoner exchange, according to Russian authorities.

In December 2024, the Coordination Headquarters announced that the bodies of those likely killed in the crash had been repatriated.

In February 2025, DNA tests confirmed matches for almost 50 of the 62 remains handed over by Russia, presumably from the Il-76 that crashed in January 2024.