Russia laments lack of intl. condemnation over Belgorod plane crash

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov expressed on Friday dissatisfaction with the UN Security Council's response to the recent Russian military plane crash, which Moscow says was a result of "Kyiv's terror attack."

At a press briefing in Moscow, Peskov mourned the loss of lives in the Wednesday incident that killed all 74 people on board, including Ukrainian prisoners, emphasizing the absence of condemnation from Western nations.

"The horrific destruction of an airplane that was transporting people, including our pilots and Russian escorts, as well as a significant number of Ukrainian prisoners of war, merits a strong response from the world community," he said.

Decisions on transferring the bodies to their relatives will be determined after the ongoing investigation concludes, he added.

Separately, Russian media reported that both flight recorders of the crashed Il-76 military transport aircraft had been delivered to Moscow for decoding.

The plane, transporting Ukrainian captives for a prisoner exchange, crashed in Russia's Belgorod region, with the Defense Ministry attributing it to being shot down by Ukrainian armed forces.

Regarding Ukraine's potential refusal to extend the gas transit contract with Russia, Peskov said it will lead to logistical chain changes.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Thursday that Kyiv had no plans to renew the gas transit contract expiring at the end of this year.

Meanwhile, reports suggesting Russia's willingness to abandon demands for Ukraine's non-accession to NATO and neutral status were deemed "absolutely untrue" by the spokesman.