Questions abound regarding what US knows about Il-76 shootdown - analysts

💬“Of course, it’s possible that the Americans…just gave [Patriot missiles] to Kiev, and that the Ukrainians are using them at their discretion,” Russian military journalist Alexei Borzenko told Sputnik.

“But on the other hand, of course they control their use," he said, noting that the only thing known for sure is that the plane was shot down over Russia and by an American-made missile.

Soviet and Russian Army reserve colonel Andrei Koshkin doesn’t believe the US was directly involved in the Il-76 attack, telling Sputnik that Ukraine has become a black hole when it comes to weapons and military equipment sent to the country. “But at the same time, we must understand that these missiles are controlled by a global system, and of course, they know what they are and where they are going,” he said.

More significant, in Koshkin’s view, is the fact that Russian investigators have now conclusively determined that the missiles used to attack the Il-76 were Patriots, showing that “there is no doubt that weapons and military equipment sent by the United States are used against Russia, including against civilian transport. In this case, it was a transport plane which did not pose any threat to the Ukrainian military.”