Plane with 65 Ukraine POWs crashes
RUSSIA accused Ukraine yesterday of deliberately shooting down a Russian military transport plane carrying 65 captured Ukrainian soldiers to a prisoner exchange, and a local official said all 74 people on board had been killed.
Russian state media said six Russian crew members and three guards were on the Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane which was shot down near the Russian city of Belgorod near the Ukrainian border.
Video posted on the Telegram messenger app by Baza, a channel linked to Russian security services, showed a large aircraft falling towards the ground near the village of Yablonovo in the Belgorod region and exploding in a vast fireball.
Local governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said that everyone onboard the plane had died in the crash in Korochansky District, northeast of Belgorod, and he was going to inspect the site. He added that investigators and emergency workers were on the scene.
Andrei Kartapolov, a lawmaker in Russia’s parliament and a retired general, said during a parliamentary session that the plane had been shot down by three missiles. He did not say what the source of his information was.
The Il-76 is a military transport aircraft designed to airlift troops, cargo, military equipment and weapons. It usually has a crew of five, and can carry up to 90 passengers.
The Kremlin said in response to a reporter’s question that it was looking into the situation.
Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, has come under frequent attack from Ukraine in recent months, including a December missile strike which killed 25 people.
(Reuters)