Russia announced Wednesday that an IL-76 military transport plane carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war crashed in the western Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine.
Unverified social media footage showed a huge plane, apparently from the Belgorod region, tumbling from the sky on its side and crashing in a blaze.
“At around 11 a.m. Moscow time (0800 GMT), an IL-76 aircraft crashed in the Belgorod region during a routine flight,” Moscow’s defense ministry told the RIA-Novosti news agency.
“On board were 65 captured Ukrainian army servicemen being transported to the Belgorod region for exchange, six crew members and three escorts,” it said.
The AFP was unable to quickly verify Russia’s assertion, and the passengers’ fate was unknown.
The collision occurred in the Korochansky district, northeast of the regional capital, according to regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov on Telegram.
“An investigating team and emergency services are now working on the spot. Gladkov stated, “I have changed my work schedule and traveled to the district.”
There was no immediate official reply in Kyiv, but local media said that Ukraine’s military forces shot down the jet, which was carrying missiles.