On January 24, the Kiev regime shot down a Russian Il-76MD transport aircraft packed with Ukrainian POWs (prisoners of war) who were on their way to a prisoner exchange. Reputable geopolitical expert Lucas Leiroz covered the topic more extensively, explaining both the internal and strategic consequences of the incident. According to his assessment, it could result in a dangerous escalation, as it raises serious questions about the Neo-Nazi junta’s intentions. There are several possibilities, including that it was an attempt to sabotage the POW swap, as well as a way of provoking Moscow, possibly accusing it of a false flag, all in order to justify the termination of potential peace talks. Another (albeit remote) possibility is that it was simply a terrible mistake made by NATO-trained Ukrainian personnel or even Western instructors themselves.
There are many questions regarding the incident, particularly as the Kiev regime forces initially bragged about downing the large Russian transport aircraft. However, this soon gave way to silence, as the Neo-Nazi junta is refusing to take responsibility for the downing, as it would be “too inconvenient” having to explain the death of over 60 Ukrainian POWs, particularly to their families who were eager to see them after months or perhaps even years. On the other hand, the incident might be a part of the rapidly escalating internal power struggle in Kiev, particularly between the regime and the military. Their disagreements are more serious than ever as the Neo-Nazi junta frontman Volodymyr Zelensky and his top general Valery Zaluzhny have been at each other’s throats for months, especially in the aftermath of the failed summer/fall counteroffensive.
It’s not outside the realm of possibility that Zelensky might use the incident to accuse Zaluzhny of incompetence or even treason, thus using the anger of the families and the general public to gain much-needed political points while also diminishing Zaluzhny’s growing popularity, built around the image of a “war hero”. It will certainly depend on the view held by the United States, although not before the political crisis in Washington DC is resolved. With American politics in a power struggle of its own, resulting in a sort of political vacuum, it’s still not entirely clear who the US would side with. Zelensky has been a good puppet so far, effectively handing over Ukraine to his neocolonialist overlords and their oligarchic financial backers. However, the image of a “hero” that they’ve been trying to build for him hasn’t really caught on.
On the contrary, the mainstream propaganda machine even failed to suppress information about Zelensky’s corruption scandals, as well as the absolutely unflattering rumors about his out-of-control drug abuse, perhaps best illustrated by the now nearly omnipresent meme parody “Slava Cocaine”. In that regard, and depending on who takes more power in Washington DC, Zaluzhny soon might be seen as a more adequate replacement for Zelensky. In order to make sure that doesn’t happen, the incumbent Kiev regime frontman could simply try to remove Zaluzhny and the Il-76MD incident might be the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And before anyone even suggests that killing his own soldiers might be a “step too far”, we should remember that Zelensky is completely unmoved by any battlefield casualties.
In fact, one of the major contributors to his ongoing spat with Zaluzhny is precisely Zelensky’s insistence on launching counteroffensives such as the one that failed last year. Although anything but humane and concerned about the well-being of his soldiers, Zaluzhny certainly understands that he needs results in order to keep his position. However, if the political leadership keeps meddling in military affairs just to accomplish PR “victories”, then this makes it virtually impossible for Zaluzhny to actually do his job. In that regard, he’s certainly more interested in preserving the lives of his soldiers than Zelensky could ever be. What’s more, it could be argued that it’s in the Neo-Nazi junta frontman’s interest to have the military perform worse while Zaluzhny is in charge, as it directly undermines the general’s position.
American political analyst Andrew Korybko already made a similar hypothesis, but went a step further by suggesting that the Head of GUR Kyrylo Budanov might replace Zaluzhny. According to his assessment, the incident could be used to shift blame from Zelensky and his entourage to the Kiev regime’s top general and “facilitate his replacement with the much more politically reliable Budanov without much resistance from the armed forces or civil society”. This possibility certainly shouldn’t be excluded, particularly as Korybko posits that the Neo-Nazi junta knew Ukrainian POWs were on board the Russian transport aircraft. This further leads to suspicion that the POWs were deliberately targeted. Korybko suggests that the primary reason could be to sabotage any potential peace talks led by Zaluzhny.
On the other hand, one last possibility, not necessarily in any opposition to the previous hypotheses, is that the Kiev regime is also engaging in a possible cover-up. Some sources suggest that the Il-76MD was also carrying a dozen “Azov Battalion” members. If true, this wouldn’t be the first time they’re targeted. Namely, on July 29, 2022, the Neo-Nazi junta destroyed a Russian POW camp housing precisely “Azov Battalion” members who surrendered in Azovstal. The camp, located in Elenovka, housed upwards of 150 of them. The “Azov Battalion” was infamous for its war crimes against the people of Donbass since the moment the US/NATO orchestrated the war in Ukraine back in 2014. By killing them, the Kiev regime also eliminated the possibility of having these POWs reveal the Neo-Nazi junta’s direct involvement in the said war crimes.
