Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
26 January 2024 | 11:43 a.m. CAT
2-min read

Image credits: Popular Mechanics

On Wednesday, Russia accused Ukraine of deliberately shooting down a Russian military transport aircraft transporting 65 captured Ukrainian soldiers to a prisoner exchange. A total of 74 people were killed in the attack.

Reports indicate that Ukraine intentionally targeted the plane.

“What is known is that they deliberately shot the plane down, and what you have amongst the Ukrainian media, first of all is they celebrated the shooting down of this plane, and then the media story started changing,” Professor Greg Simons, an independent researcher based in Sweden, said during an interview on Radio Islam International this morning.

The flight path, timing, and knowledge of the prisoners were all known to Ukrainian authorities due to the planned nature of the exchange.

Russian Defence Ministry officials had initially been on the passenger list but were not on board when the plane was shot down due to last-minute changes.

This raised questions about an opportunistic act by Ukrainian authorities.

“[The plane was shot down] at a distance of over 100 kilometres, so you need to have pretty sophisticated surface-to-air weaponry. The suggestion is that this might have been a Patriot American missile system that shot the Russian plane down,” Professor Simons added.

Ukraine has previously been accused of deliberately targeting Ukrainian prisoners of war with a surface-to-surface missile.

Questions about Ukraine’s internal control, discipline within its defense forces, and the motives behind such incidents remain unanswered.

Talks about taking the matter to the UN have surfaced, but Professor Simons expressed scepticism about the substantive impact of such actions.

“This [matter going to the UN] would be symbolic politics to show that Ukraine has been doing something that it shouldn’t be doing. It’s a slap on the wrist.” Professor Simons said.

Professor Simons dismissed the notion of a stalemate in the Russia-Ukraine situation. Instead, he posits that Ukraine’s recent actions might be driven by a need for perceived victory, particularly as the conflict is losing global attention.

The conflict is seen by some as serving as a proxy war and is becoming a liability for certain political factions, particularly the Democrats in the United States, Professor Simons noted.

“Ukraine has been and always was a proxy war. It was an opportunistic intent by the Americans to use Ukraine against Russia. This is not the first time they have used one country against another… Back in 1980, when the Americans used Iraq against Iran. And then, when a country becomes a political liability, they generally turn on that country,” stated Professor Simons.

Listen to the full interview on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat.