Russia accused Kyiv on Wednesday of deliberately shooting down a military plane allegedly carrying all 74 individuals, including 65 captured Ukranian soldiers
The Russian Defense Ministry claims Kyiv shot down a Russian military transport aircraft in a “terrorist attack” carrying Ukranian prisoners of war who were being transported for a prisoner exchange. It was flying near the village of Yablonovo in the Belgorod region.
The ministry said in a series of posts on its official channel in Telegram that the “Ilyushin Il-76” cargo plane, which also held six Russian crew members and three Russian soldiers, was destroyed by Ukranian armed forces with an anti-aircraft missile system.
The prisoner exchange was expected to take place on Wednesday afternoon at the Kolotilovka checkpoint on the Russian-Ukrainian border, according to Russia’s defense ministry on Telegram.
READ MORE: ‘No survivors’ as Russian plane with 65 Ukrainian prisoners crashes and explodes
The ministry said the radar operators of the Russian Aerospace Forces had “observed the launch of two Ukrainian missiles,” adding that Ukraine’s government “knew very well that, according to established practice,” a military aircraft would be flying to the Belgorod airfield ahead of the exchange.
“By committing this terrorist attack, the Ukrainian leadership showed its true colors – it neglected the lives of its citizens,” the ministry said.
Local governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on his Telegram channel that a “missile alert” in the Belgorod region were active shortly before the crash. He added that a transport plane crashed in a field near a populated area, and that everyone on board had died.
Daily Express US could not verify these claims, and has reached out to Russia’s foreign ministry and Ukraine’s defense ministry for comment.
The Ukrainian defense ministry’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (GRU) said it did not have reliable and comprehensive information from anyone who was on board the aircraft, according to its Facebook post.
The intelligence branch said it had properly fulfilled all agreements in regard to preparation of the exchange, having safely delivered Russian captured soldiers to the designated place on time.
The branch said the Ukrainian side was not informed about the need to ensure the safety in the sky in the area of Belgorod, nor were they informed about the transportation methods, routes and how the prisoners are being delivered.
“This may indicate Russia’s deliberate actions aimed at creating a threat to the lives and safety of prisoners,” Ukraine’s intelligence unit said on Facebook.
Details about whether Ukraine had shot down the plane or whether there were Ukrainian prisoners on board were not provided.
This comes after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in New York on Tuesday, where he participated in meetings of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the Middle East.
Lavrov told reporters on Wednesday that he had requested an emergency UN Security Council meeting over the crash, calling it a “terrorist attack” and holding Kyiv responsible.
U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Wednesday the White House is aware of the reports about the crash, but is “not in a position to confirm them.”
Kirby told reporters: “Obviously we are doing the best we can to try to get more clarity and more information on it.”
The crash comes as Russia launched missiles at three Ukrainian cities on Tuesday, killing at least seven people and wrecking apartment buildings, in what the United Nations said appeared to be part of “an alarming reversal” of a trend last year that saw a drop in civilian casualties from Kremlin attacks.
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