On Wednesday, the 24th of January, Russia accused Ukraine of deliberately shooting down a Russian military transport plane carrying 65 captured Ukrainian soldiers for a prisoner exchange. A local official said that all 74 people, including six Russian crew members and three guards, on board the Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane died after it was shot down near Belgorod, citing Russian state media, reports Reuters.
Accusing Ukraine of deliberate action, Russia claims that the Ukrainian leadership was aware of the military transport plane carrying Ukrainian soldiers to the planned exchange.
The Foreign Ministry statement alleges a violation of a previously concluded agreement and states that the action of the Ukrainian leadership in shooting down the plane constitutes an act of terrorism, without regard for the lives of its citizens.
Mikhail Podolyak, an adviser to the Ukrainian President, told Reuters that he would comment later as it would take time to clarify all the details.
Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence service GUR, told Radio Svoboda that a prisoner exchange was planned for Wednesday.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, according to Interfax-Ukraine, said it currently lacked reliable information, but promised to share information as soon as it was available.
Footage posted on social media
shows the plane nose-down and losing parts before crashing. Images posted on Telegram from the crash site show debris scattered in a field.
The crash of IL-76 near Belgorod. The main information about the crash, as well as the reactions of the two sides and analysts.
An IL-76 military transport plane crashed around 11:00 a.m. Moscow time in the Belgorod region. All on board were killed, regional governor Vyacheslav… pic.twitter.com/4O8F2d0r0g
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) January 24, 2024
The first photos from the crash site of IL-76 near #Belgorod pic.twitter.com/z81YbJupqK
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) January 24, 2024
Initially, the Ukrainian media Ukrainska Pravda, citing military sources, claimed that the Kiyv had shot down a plane carrying S-300 missiles. However, the media later corrected the report, stating that the information had not been confirmed by other sources.
Andrei Kartapolov, a Russian MP and retired general, has claimed that the downing of the Russian military transport plane was a deliberate act to sabotage the exchange and has indicated that US or German-made missiles were used.
The Russian Ministry of Defence reported that it had detected two Ukrainian missile launches during the incident.
If the details are confirmed,
it would be the deadliest incident of its kind inside Russia’s internationally recognised borders during the almost two-year-old war, according to Reuters.
The Il-76 is a military transport aircraft designed for the air transport of troops, cargo, military equipment and weapons. It usually has a crew of five and can carry up to 90 passengers, reports Reuters.
Also read: Russian officials say 27 people killed in Ukrainian attack on Donetsk
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