WATCH: Russian IL-76 transport plane crashes in Belgorod region with 65 Ukrainian POWs on board

Russia said on Wednesday that an IL-76 military transport plane carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war had crashed in the western Belgorod region, bordering Ukraine. While initially Visegrád 24 reported that over 60 Russian soldiers died in the incident, Sputnik, citing the Russian Ministry of Defence, said that 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war were being transported to the Belgorod region for exchange, apart from six crew members and three accompanying persons.

“At around 11 am Moscow time (0800 GMT), an IL-76 aircraft crashed in the Belgorod region during a routine flight,” Moscow’s defence ministry was quoted as saying by 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. Local governor Vyacheslav Gladkov told Reuters that an unspecified “incident” had occurred in the region’s Korochansky district, northeast of Belgorod city, and that he was going to inspect the site. “Now an investigation team and emergency services are working on the site. I have changed my working schedule and travelled to the district,” AFP quoted Gladkov as saying. There was no immediate official reaction in Kyiv, but local media cited sources in Ukraine’s defence forces as saying that its armed forces downed the plane, and that it was transporting missiles.

Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, has come under frequent attack from Ukraine in recent months, including a December missile strike which killed 25 people. With inputs from agencies