Interfax: Kyiv denies holding Russia responsible for downing two Su-25 warplanes

KYIV. July 24 (Interfax) – Ukraine has not accused Russia of shooting down Ukrainian military planes in the military operation area in the eastern part of the country but only suggested it as one of the theories of the Wednesday incident, Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council spokesman Andriy Lysenko said.

“We haven’t accused anyone yet,” Lysenko said at a news conference in Kyiv, adding that “Russia’s immediate involvement in the plane crashes is only one of the working theories.”

“More detailed information would be available after the surviving pilots are questioned and provide their information,” he said.

The pilots of the two Su-25 planes that were shot down in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday “are not in captivity,” Lysenko said.

The planes were downed in the area of Saur-Mohyla while on a mission to provide an air umbrella for ground units defending the village of Tarany, the Donetsk region.

Lysenko said at a news briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday that two Su-25 attack planes had been shot down not from Ukrainian territory. “Having successfully performed their mission, the Ukrainian pilots were fired upon from powerful anti-aircraft systems. Two planes were intercepted at an altitude of 5,200 meters. Preliminary information indicates that the missiles were fired from Russian territory,” Lysenko said.

“Preliminary findings indicate that these missiles were fired precisely from across the border,” he said.