A Russian military plane crashes in Belgorod region carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced, according to Russian agencies, that a Russian L-76 military cargo plane carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war crashed on Wednesday in the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said, “At approximately 11:00 Moscow time (08:00 GMT), an Ilyushin 76 plane crashed in the Belgorod region, and on board were 65 captured Ukrainian army soldiers who were transported to the Belgorod region for an exchange, six crew members, and three companions”.

The statement added, “An Air Force committee went to the site of the plane crash to determine the causes of the disaster”.

Photos circulated on social media showed a plane crashing before a large explosion, accompanied by flames and black smoke.

The Russian Ministry of Defense accused Kiev of shooting down a Russian military plane that was carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war in the Belgorod region on Wednesday, confirming that it had noticed two missiles being fired.

The Russian Ministry of Defense Ministry said, “The Kiev regime committed a terrorist act by shooting down a Russian military transport plane that was on a flight from Chkalovsky Airport to Belgorod to transport captured Ukrainian soldiers for an exchange,” adding, “Ukraine learned that these soldiers would be transported by air on Wednesday”.

The Russian Ministry didn’t provide details at this stage about the fate of the plane’s passengers.

Since the start of its attack on Ukraine, Russia has witnessed several air disasters involving army aircraft.

For his part, Andrei Kartapolov, a member of the Russian Duma and a retired general, said that the military transport plane that crashed in southern Russia on Wednesday fell after being targeted by three missiles sent by the West to Ukraine.

Kartapolov didn’t mention the source of his information.

He said that investigations will reveal whether the missiles were Patriot or IRIS-T.