A Russian military transport plane crashed in the Belgorod region of Russia, claiming the lives of all 74 individuals on board, including 65 Ukrainian Prisoners of War (PoWs).
The ill-fated Ilyushin-76 aircraft crashed at approximately 8 am GMT in the Korocha district, near the border with Ukraine.
According to Russia’s defence ministry, the aircraft was on a scheduled flight and was transporting the Ukrainian PoWs to the Belgorod region for a planned exchange.
The ministry revealed that there were 65 Ukrainian PoWs and three escorts on board. The tragedy has prompted Moscow to dispatch a panel of inquiry to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash.
Conflicting reports have emerged regarding the nature of the cargo on the plane. While Russian officials assert that the aircraft was carrying Ukrainian servicemen for an upcoming prisoner exchange, CNN reported that Ukraine is investigating these claims.
The official Ukrainian information service, citing sources in the Kyiv military, countered Russia’s narrative, stating that the Soviet-era military plane was actually carrying missiles intended for the Russian S-300 air defence system.
The international community is closely monitoring the situation, with Washington Post quoting senior Russian officials who, without providing evidence, alleged that the plane was shot down by Ukrainian forces using either German or US-made missiles. The lack of concrete evidence has raised skepticism about the veracity of these claims.
Adding further complexity to the situation, Russian MP Andrey Kartapolov, as reported by media outlet RT, claimed that there were two planes carrying Ukrainian PoWs.
He asserted that Moscow had to urgently divert the second IL-76, carrying 80 captured troops, out of the danger zone.
Kartapolov alleged that, despite Kyiv’s awareness of the flight route, the crashed plane was shot down by three anti-aircraft missiles fired from either US-made Patriot or German-made IRIS-T systems.
This article was created using automation technology and was thoroughly edited and fact-checked by one of our editorial staff members