The case against Major General of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Viktor Nazarov is a precedent that could have far-reaching consequences for Ukraine's defense capability, fifth President of Ukraine (2014-2019), leader of the European Solidarity party Petro Poroshenko wrote on Facebook.

"I am closely following the case of General Nazarov. I understand its moral and legal complexity. I feel the public resonance. I also share the pain of the relatives of the Ukrainian soldiers who died on board the Il-76. Putin killed them. Moreover, he is going to continue to fight with Ukraine," Poroshenko said.

He said that for Russia, shifting responsibility to the Ukrainian military in the Il-76MD plane crash in Donbas in June 2014, as a result of which 49 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were killed, is an ideal way to avoid punishment for war crimes.

"I am convinced that the Russian General Staff is rubbing their hands, as responsibility for the Russian crime has been transferred to a Ukrainian general. It is ideal for the aggressor. And the Wagner members, among whom were those who were directly involved in the downing of planes, were returned to Putin [Russian President Vladimir Putin] by Russian 'moles' in the President's Office of Ukraine a few hours before they were to be in the hands of Ukrainian justice. Human lives are above all, this is undeniable. But the Nazarov case is a precedent that could have far-reaching consequences for the country's defense capability," Poroshenko said.

As reported, on the night of June 14, 2014, a military transport aircraft of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Il-76 was shot down by anti-aircraft missile system while landing at an airfield in Luhansk. There were 40 Ukrainian servicemen and nine crew members on board of the Il-76. They all died. The Verkhovna Rada has created a temporary commission of inquiry to investigate the circumstances of the destruction of the Il-76 aircraft. Major General of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Viktor Nazarov was handed a suspicion of official negligence, which led to the death of 49 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during their redeployment by the Il-76 military transport aircraft to Luhansk.

In March 2017, Nazarov was found guilty and sentenced to seven years in prison. On December 14, 2020, Dniprovsky Court of Appeal upheld the verdict.