Russian military and political VIPs should have been on board the Il-76, but at the last moment the FSB forbade them to board, said Andriy Yusov, a representative of the Main Intelligence Agency (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

As he said on Radio Liberty, Ukrainian intelligence found out all this after the plane crash.

"It is known that several VIP officials from the military and political representation of the aggressor country should really have been on board. Their names are known and will be named, the materials will be transferred as part of an international investigation, but at the last moment the FSB actually ordered them not to board this plane and use other modes of transport," Yusov said.

The GUR also noted that only five bodies were delivered to the local morgue in Belgorod the day before, and Russian rescuers were not allowed to inspect the crash site.

It is not yet possible to verify data from other sources. Intelligence say it will hand over these materials for an international investigation.

As reported, on Wednesday morning, January 24, an IL-76 plane crashed near Russian Belgorod, on board of which, according to Russian media reports, Ukrainian prisoners of war could be present.