US State Dept. Dodges Questions on Ukraine’s Involvement in Terrorist Attack on IL-76

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US State Department deputy principal spokesperson Vedant Patel reacted in a boorish manner to a Sputnik correspondent's question about the possibility of a Washington investigation of the terrorist attack on the Il-76, adding that he doubts the reliability of evidence of Ukraine’s involvement.

At the briefing, Patel refused to directly answer the question posed, asking the Sputnik reporter whether the evidence presented corresponded to "the same level of credible evidence that the Russians show when they tell the truth about other things".

Six Russian crew members, three Russian servicemen, and 65 Ukrainian POWs aboard the airplane were killed after a missile hit the Il-76 airplane over the Belgorod Region on January 24. The aircraft was en route for a planned prisoner exchange that was subsequently canceled.

The Russian Investigative Committee said that the Ukrainian armed forces used the MIM-104A guided missile of the Patriot system to shoot down the plane.