“Or Uke intel knew there were POWs on the plane and shot it down to kill the “ traitors” and try to pin an atrocity on the Russians”
I doubt we ever find out for sure, but maybe also it’s just the ‘value’ that Ukrainians put on human lives. After all, there were also likely a dozen or more Russians on the plane...so maybe that was all they wanted, regardless of the collateral damage.
The article mentions it was carrying “ air defense gear” so its also possible a covert op was planned to prevent some Western weapon system and the men trained to operate it…from falling into Russian hands