Flight mechanic Sergei Zhitenev texted his wife before the Il-76 military transport aircraft took off for its last flight when it was shot down over Belgorod. There were six crew members, 65 captured soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and three accompanying persons on board the aircraft. The Il-76 was flying the Ukrainian POWs for prisoner exchange.
Zhitenev discussed his upcoming flight with his wife. His last message was: "That's my job."
The man's wife Anastasia said that her husband was supposed to be promoted to a new officer position this year as he had been serving in aviation since he was 18 years old. According to her, the man served in Chechnya and Syria, where he saved people from a burning plane.
She also added that her husband had prepared everything for the family so that they would not be in need without him.
On January 31, Putin said that the Il-76 was shot down by the American Patriot system. The Patriot missile was launched from a territory controlled by Ukraine. In his opinion, even if Kyiv accidentally shot down the Il-76 with captured Ukrainians on board, this is still a serious crime.
"Why did they do this? I don't know. I don't understand,” Putin said.