Today, July 25, a farewell was held in the Garrison Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Lviv for 12 Royal Brigade soldiers who died in captivity on January 24, 2024, after the crash of a Russian Il-76 military transport plane.
This was reported by the 24th Infantry Brigade Support Service.
The circumstances of the tragedy on the territory of Russia still remain unknown, and the bodies of the fallen have only now been returned.
At the farewell ceremony, each of the deceased was remembered by name: Vladislav Bobrovsky, Bohdan Dudyak, Nazar Kovalyk, Yaroslav Kryvanyo, Oleg Kuzma, Serhiy Levkiv, Ivan Ohapsky, Nazar Petrykiv, Yaroslav Sobolev, Deuran Tailakov, Mykolay Trukhan, Ivan Fedeka.
“Their bodies were only returned now. Today, we took them on their last journey. On their native land. At home. We sympathize with the relatives and friends of our soldiers. We remember. We honor. We will take revenge,” the message says.
The crash of an Il-76 in Russia
On January 24, 2024, an Il-76 military transport aircraft crashed in the Belgorod region. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that there were 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war on board, who were being taken for an exchange.
The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine confirmed that a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine was being prepared for January 24.
As Suspilne reported, military expert, former head of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation office in Ukraine, senior researcher at the Munich Security Conference Nico Lange suggested that the Russian Il-76 military transport aircraft could have been shot down by a Russian air defense system.