Russia: West will be complicit in attack on Russian plane if use of Western weapons is proven

(Patria) - If the use of American or German surface-to-air missile systems for the deadly attack on the Russian Il-76 aircraft over the Belgorod region is confirmed, Western countries will become complicit in the crime committed by the Kiev government, said Dmitry Polyansky, First Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN, the TASS news agency reported.

"According to the preliminary investigation, the Ukrainian armed forces carried out this terrorist attack using an anti-aircraft missile system. The missiles were launched from the village of Liptsi in the Kharkiv region," the Russian diplomat said.

"These could have been either American Patriot or German-made Iris-T missiles. If confirmed, this will make the Western suppliers of this ammunition complicit in this crime. Just as they are complicit in the shelling of peaceful neighborhoods of Russian cities carried out by Ukrainian armed forces with Western weapons," he added.

On January 24, Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian Il-76 military transport plane that was carrying captured Ukrainian soldiers for an exchange. All 74 people on board, including 65 Ukrainians, died in the incident.

The Russian Ministry of Defense called the incident a terrorist act and stated that Kiev knew about the transport of prisoners for the exchange that was to take place at the Kolotilovka checkpoint. The ministry said Ukraine attacked the plane so that Kiev could blame Moscow for the loss of life of Ukrainian soldiers.

Ukraine claims it was not informed about who was on the plane and has called for an international investigation into the incident.