President Vladimir Putin has hinted at the involvement of France or the United States in the strike on the IL-76 aircraft, which crashed in the Belgorod region.
He made this statement during a meeting with students participating in the Special Military Operation (SMO) in Saint Petersburg.
"The weaponry recovered from the IL-76 crash site indicates that it was a French or U.S. air defense system. It will become clear in a couple of days," Vladimir Putin clarified during his interaction with the students.
The event was broadcasted by the "Russia 24" TV channel according to Ura News.
The IL-76 aircraft crash in the Belgorod region occurred on January 24. The Russian Investigative Committee conducted an investigation and concluded that the strike was delivered by an anti-aircraft missile. The missile was launched from a village in the Kharkov region.
Putin also stated that he is completely certain that it was Ukraine itself that shot down the plane, and this was done using weapons from the USA and/or France.
However, Putin also mentioned that he was not sure if it was done intentionally.
"I don't know if it was intentional, a mistake, or a lack of thought. But it's clear that they did it," Putin stated according to Lenta.
