The comments came after Russia accused Ukraine of shooting down a transport plane, killing 65 Ukrainian prisoners on board.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has accused Russia of “playing with the lives of Ukrainian prisoners of war” over the crash of a military transport plane, which Russia blames on Ukraine.
The Ilyushin Il-76 crashed in the Russian border region of Belgorod on Wednesday, killing all on board.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, as well as six Russian crew members and three Russian soldiers, were on board the plane in preparation for a prisoner exchange.
“It is clear that the Russians are playing with the lives of Ukrainian prisoners of war, the feelings of their relatives and the feelings of our society,” President Zelenskiy said in a speech Wednesday night.
He did not confirm or deny Russia’s claims, but said it had been a “very difficult day.”
“We need to establish all the clear facts. Given that the downing of the aircraft occurred on Russian territory, we will respond in the best possible way, outside of our control.” .
The Russian Defense Ministry said the plane was flying from a military airfield near Moscow to Belgorod when it crashed.
The city of Belgorod, near the border with Ukraine, has been the target of Ukrainian military airstrikes in recent weeks. The ministry claimed, without providing evidence, that radar had detected the launch of two Ukrainian missiles.
State news agency RIA Novosti quoted the Ministry of Defense as saying, “The ship was carrying 65 prisoners of war, Ukrainian military personnel, six crew members and three escorts, who were being transferred to the Belgorod region for exchange.” No evidence has been presented for this claim.
Hours later, the Ukrainian military said it noticed more Russian military transport planes landing in Belgorod and linked them to continued Russian missile attacks on Kharkiv and other Ukrainian cities.
“Ukraine has the right to defend itself and destroy the aggressor’s means of air strikes,” Air Force Commander Mykola Oreshchuk said.
The Kremlin told reporters that the plane had been destroyed, as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia aimed to find out “the reasons behind Ukraine’s criminal acts” and called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. He said he was investigating the reports.
A French UN spokesperson said the meeting would be held on Thursday at 5pm (5pm Japan time).
President Zelenskiy also called for an international investigation into the crash.
There are no requirements regarding airspace security.
Ukraine’s intelligence service said in a statement that it did not have “reliable and comprehensive information” about who and how many people were on the plane.
Ukraine’s state broadcaster Sashpirne, citing Radio Free Europe, a Czech-based media outlet, reported that Andriy Yusov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, said that there would be no exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine. said it was being prepared for Wednesday. Republic.
Yusof added that there would be no prisoner exchange.
Military intelligence also said that, in contrast to previous exchanges, Ukraine was not asked to secure the airspace around Belgorod and was not informed about what transport means would be used and along which routes. He said there was no.
“On this basis, we may be talking about Russia’s planned and deliberate actions to destabilize the situation in Ukraine and weaken international support for our country,” the country said in a statement on Telegram. mentioned in.
A video posted on Telegram by Baza, a channel linked to Russian security services, showed a large plane falling and exploding in a fireball.
Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on social media that investigators and paramedics had already arrived at the scene in the Kolochansky district of Belgorod region.
“The plane crashed in a field near a populated area. All passengers died,” Gladkov said on his Telegram channel.
The Il-76 is designed for airlifting troops, cargo, military equipment, and weapons. They typically have a crew of five and can carry up to 90 passengers.
Kharkiv and Kiev were hit by Russian airstrikes on Tuesday, killing at least 18 people.
In December, Russia accused Ukraine of carrying out a “terrorist attack” on civilians in the city of Belgorod, which killed 25 people.
The Kremlin last week accused Kiev of killing 27 people in an attack on the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Donetsk. Ukraine denied the allegations.
