Russia and Ukraine traded accusations over the crash of a Russian military transport plane Ilyushin Il- 76 that Moscow said was carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war and was shot down by Kyiv’s forces.
Ukraine did not directly confirm or deny it had shot down the Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane, which was downed near the Russian city of Belgorod near the Ukrainian border, but challenged Moscow’s accusations.
Ukraine’s military intelligence agency confirmed a swap was scheduled meant to take place, but it was not confirmed nor were Ukrainian forces asked to ensure airspace security around Belgorod unlike previous swaps.
What happened?
On January 24, the Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane was shot down in the Russian border region of Belgorod, killing all the 74 people on board.
Videos and photos of the crash posted on social media showed a large aircraft falling from the sky near the village of Yablonovo in the Belgorod region before exploding on impact.
Russian state-owned RIA Novosti reported the discovery of the transport plane’s flight recorders.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said the plane was carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) which were being sent back to Ukraine for a prisoner swap. Six Russian crew members and three Russian soldiers were also onboard.
However, Ukrainian military said there is no evidence to confirm that prisoners of war were on the crashed flight.
Moscow accuses Kyiv of downing the plane
Russia earlier accused Ukraine of shooting down its military plane near the Ukrainian border on Wednesday, saying everyone on board was killed including dozens of Ukrainian servicemen prisoners.
The Ilyushin-76 crashed inside Russian airspace, 5 to 6 kilometers from the village of Yablonovo in the Belgorod region.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the country’s Defense Ministry called the incident an act of terrorism. “The plane was destroyed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the area of Liptsy, Kharkiv region, using an anti-aircraft missile system,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The radar equipment of the Russian Aerospace Forces observed the launch of two Ukrainian missiles.”
Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has claimed that air defense systems in the region were active at the time of the crash and observed the missiles launching.
The United Nations Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting over the plane crash at the request of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Zelenskyy says Russia ‘playing with lives’ of Ukrainian POWs
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of “playing with the lives of Ukrainian prisoners” after a deadly crash of a military transport plane in western Russia that Moscow blamed on Kyiv.
“It is obvious that the Russians are playing with the lives of Ukrainian prisoners, with the feelings of their relatives and with the emotions of our society,” Zelenskyy said.
Without confirming or denying the claims made by Russia, Zelenskyy said it had been a “very difficult day”.
“We need to establish all the clear facts. As much as possible, given that the downing of the plane occurred on Russian territory, which is beyond our control,” he said.
Ukraine calls for international probe
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for an international investigation into a Russian military aircraft crash on Wednesday, which Russian officials claimed had been transporting Ukrainian prisoners of war.
Responding to Russian claims, Ukraine’s military intelligence (GUR) said it was not informed in advance to ensure safe airspace, as on previous occasions.
Comments from GUR are being interpreted as an implicit acknowledgment that the Russian military transport plane was shot down by Ukraine. Ukrainian intelligence agency stressed it had no reliable information about who was on board and warned the incident may have involved “planned and deliberate actions by Russia”.