Russian Military Plane Carrying 65 Ukrainian Prisoners Of War Crashes

DE Online Desk
A Russian military transport plane crashed on Wednesday in the border region of Belgorod, Russia’s defence ministry said.
The ministry said the aircraft was carrying 65 Ukrainian who were to be exchanged with Ukraine in a swap. The ministry added that the Ilyushin Il-76 was also carrying six crew members and three other people.
Ukraine did not immediately comment on the incident.
The Belgorod regional governor, Mikhail Gladkov, said on Telegram that an “accident” occurred, adding that the emergency services were working at the scene.
The Soviet-designed Ilyushin Il-76 is a military transport aircraft designed to airlift troops, cargo, military equipment and weapons.
Russia’s defence ministry claimed that the flight was carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, who were about to be exchanged. They were killed, together with six Russian crew and “three accompanying persons”, the Moscow news agency Tass reported.
The Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, is a vital stop on Russian supply lines. Belgorod has come under extensive shelling and drone attacks for months including a December missile strike on the capital of the region which killed 25 people.