‘65 Ukrainian PoWs killed as Russian plane shot down’
AT least 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war were feared dead last night after the aircraft they were travelling in was brought down over Russia.
The soldiers were said to be only hours away from being released when the plane blew up 25 miles from the Ukrainian border.
Kyiv has not denied accidentally shooting down the aircraft.
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 on social media captured the military transport plane crashing in a huge fireball.
Six Russian crew members and three soldiers were said to have been on board. Before 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 on 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’.
Ukraine has accused Russia of transporting arms in the aircraft.