In a tragic incident, a Russian military transport plane crashed near the Ukraine border. Conflicting reports mention 65 captured Ukrainian military onboard and, separately, cargo related to air defense systems.
BREAKING: Russian parliament speaker accuses Ukraine of shooting down plane carrying POWs t.co/rjjjuzsRp6 pic.twitter.com/yvsbbOKYSi
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BREAKING: Russian ministry of defense says all 74 people, including 65 POWs aboard the Il-76 transport plane that crashed near Belgorod are dead. t.co/TXL13SiJVA
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BREAKING: A likely missile trace is visible in the sky just before Russian plane crashed in Belgorod (video grab) pic.twitter.com/dNjlSUCyjf
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BREAKING: Russia says plane carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war crashes in the western Belgorod regiont.co/jfvFhGKDuU
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) January 24, 2024
Russian Air Force Ilyushin-76 🇷🇺 Has Crashed In The Southern Belgorod Region Of #Russia With At Least 65 POWs From #Ukraine 🇺🇦 Killed According To Russia's Ministry Of Defence.
— SkyScanWorld ✈️🚁📡 (@scan_sky) January 24, 2024
via BBC:
A Russian Ilyushin-76 military transport plane has crashed in the southern Belgorod region bordering Ukraine.
Russia’s ministry of defence said 65 captured Ukrainian military were on the plane heading to Belgorod region for a prisoner exchange.
None of the details surrounding those on board can be independently verified.
Ria Novosti news agency said another nine people were on the plane, including six crew.
Ukraine’s general staff, quoted by the Ukrainska Pravda website, said the plane was transporting missiles for Russia’s S-300 air defence systems. It made no mention of prisoners of war.
Video shared on social media showed a plane going down followed by an explosion and a fireball near the village of Yablonovo, 70km (44 miles) to the north-east of the city of Belgorod, at around 11:00 local time (08:00 GMT).