Extract from ABC News
A Russian military transport plane carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, six crew and three people accompanying them has crashed in Russia's Belgorod region near Ukraine, Russia's Defence Ministry said.
Key points:
- Russia's Defence Ministry blamed Ukraine for the downing of the plane
- Ukraine's intelligence agency said it had no "reliable information" on who was on board of the plane
- The Ukrainian army said it would continue to target Russian military aircraft in Belgorod region
The ministry said it was transporting Ukrainian prisoners of war on the Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane to be exchanged in a swap.
Kyiv confirmed that a prisoner exchange was due to take place on Wednesday, but said it had no reliable information on the passengers of the downed plane.
Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said that everyone onboard the plane had died.
He said the incident had occurred in the region's Korochansky district, north-east of Belgorod city.
Shortly before the crash, Mr Gladkov said on his Telegram channel that a "missile alert" had been triggered in the region and warned residents to take shelter.
Russia's Defence Ministry blamed the "Kyiv regime" for the downing of the plane, saying its radar had detected the launch of two Ukrainian missiles.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov declined to comment, saying news around the crash was still emerging but said Russian authorities would "look into" the incident.
Hours after the crash, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine made no mention of it in a statement.
But it added that Ukraine targets Russian military transport planes believed to be delivering missiles, especially near the border.
Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said it was looking into the crash but did not immediately provide any information.
"We emphasise that the enemy is actively conducting information special operations against Ukraine aimed at destabilising Ukrainian society," it said in a statement on Telegram.
Ukraine says no 'reliable information' on the downed plane
Ukraine's intelligence agency on Wednesday said it had no "reliable information" on who was on board the downed Russian military plane.
"We currently do not have reliable or comprehensive information on who was on board the plane or in what number," Ukraine's main intelligence directorate said in a statement.
It confirmed a "prisoner exchange was supposed to take place" on Wednesday.
Without commenting on whether Ukrainian POWs were on board, the intelligence agency accused Moscow of endangering the lives of its captured soldiers.
"Ukraine was not informed about the number of vehicles, routes and forms of delivery of prisoners," it said.
"The Ukrainian side was not informed about the need to ensure the security of the airspace in the area around the city of Belgorod at a set time, as has been done many times in the past," the intelligence directorate said.
"It is known that prisoners are delivered by air, rail and road. This may indicate deliberate actions by Russia aimed at endangering the lives and safety of prisoners."
In a statement published hours after the crash, the Ukrainian army said it would continue to target Russian aircraft in Belgorod region.
But the statement did not mention Wednesday's crash, or address Moscow's accusations.
It said that a number of shelling attacks on Ukrainian territory were "directly related" to Russian military transport aircraft flying to Belgorod airfield.
"With this in mind, the Ukrainian army will continue to take measures to destroy delivery vehicles and control the airspace to eliminate the terrorist threat, including in the Belgorod-Kharkiv direction," it said.
AP/Reuters
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