A Russian military transport plane crashed on Wednesday in the country’s Belgorod region. The crash occurred in the Korochansky district, northeast of the region’s capital.
Russian news broadcaster Russia Today has reportedly claimed that the plane was carrying Ukrainian Prisoners of War (POWs).
As per reports, the military IL-76 aircraft was transporting 65 service members for further exchange, the Russian Defence Ministry said.
The plane was carrying 65 Ukrainian POWs who were being transported for an exchange in a swap. Russia has reportedly said that no one has survived.
“On board were 65 captured Ukrainian army servicemen being transported to the Belgorod region for exchange, six crew members and three escorts,” Russian defence ministry said.
A video of the crash is doing the rounds on social media. The footage shot from a distance shows the aircraft dropping out of control and crashing near a residential area. The plane crashed on its right wing and was up in flames.
Russian Il-76 crashed in Belgorod region 🇷🇺
— Victoria (@victoriaslog) January 24, 2024
Every time their plane falls down, it is a lose-lose situation for Russia, no matter how it explains it. Russia lied about friendly fire the last time since it’s a matter of time when their pilots refuse to fly near the border, but I… pic.twitter.com/wrMf2vm7aI
“At around 11 am Moscow time (0800 GMT), an IL-76 aircraft crashed in the Belgorod region during a routine flight,” AFP reported quoting Moscow’s defence ministry as saying.
“On board were 65 captured Ukrainian army servicemen being transported to the Belgorod region for exchange, six crew members and three escorts,” it said.
However, reports quoting AFP say that as per the local media in Ukraine, the Ukrainian forces hit the plane claiming that it was carrying missiles for the S-300 surface-air defence system and not POWs.
Russian parliament speaker, Vyacheslav Volodin, has accused Ukraine of shooting down plane carrying the POWs. “They shot their own soldiers in the air. Their own,” he Volodin said. “Our pilots, who were carrying out a humanitarian mission, were shot down.”
Regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has said that an investigation team and emergency services are on the spot. “I have changed by working schedule and travelled to the district,” he said.
The Russian IL-76 is designed to airlift troops, cargo and military equipment like tanks, howitzers, and ammunition. The aircraft was manufactured by Ilyushin and was inducted into service in the 1970s when the USSR existed. The aircraft was designed to replace the An-12 (Antonov 12).
