65 Ukrainian PoWs killed as plane ‘shot down’ in Russia
AT LEAST 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war were feared dead last night after their aircraft was shot down in Russia.
The Ukrainian soldiers were said to be just hours from being released when the attack happened close to the Russian border with Ukraine.
Kyiv has not denied downing the aircraft which, in an agreement between the nations, should have been protected.
But Russia has accused Ukraine of ‘a barbaric act’ and demanded an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council. Ukraine responded by saying it was ‘up to Russia to ensure the safety of our defenders’.
Footage shared on social media captured the explosion and resulting fireball after the aircraft crash-landed. There were no survivors. Six Russian crew members and three soldiers were also on board.
Prior to previous PoW exchanges, each side has shared flight details to avoid aircraft being targeted.
According to Ukraine, Russia failed to provide any information regarding the Ilyushin II-76, flying from an airbase near Moscow to Belgorod in western Russia.
The exchange was set to take place at the Kolotilovka checkpoint on the Ukrainian border.
Thousands of Ukrainian PoWs remain in Russian captivity. Last night, their families faced an agonising wait to learn if their relatives were aboard the aircraft.
Ukraine has accused Russia of withholding information about the flight. In a statement it said Russia’s ‘deliberate’ actions were ‘aimed at putting the lives and safety of the PoWs under threat’.
Russia claimed Kyiv had used western missiles to down the aircraft and had disregarded ‘the lives of its own citizens’. There has been no independent confirmation of who was on the aircraft.