Russia claims to have handed over the bodies of the Ukrainian prisoners of war (POW) who allegedly were on board the crashed Il-76 plane, Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets has said on Monday.

"Several repatriation measures have been taken recently during which the remains of the deceased were handed over to Ukraine. Identification is currently underway. As ombudsman of Ukraine, I am in cooperation with all relevant services on the issue," he said on the Telegram channel.

As reported, on January 24, 2024, an Il-76 military plane went down in the Belgorod region, Russia.

After the downing of the Russian Il-76, Russian media circulated statements by the chairman of the Russian State Duma's defense committee, Andrei Kartapolov, that it allegedly carried dozens of Ukrainian POWs who were being taken for exchange.

The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine confirmed that a prisoner swap was scheduled for January 24.

On Monday, the Russian media quoted Moskalkova as saying that "the bodies of the prisoners of war" were handed over to Ukraine and that she "was present" at the exchange.