Russia on Wednesday accused Ukraine of shooting down a Russian military plane near its border, saying all 74 people on board were killed, including dozens of Ukrainian servicemen who were being transferred for a prisoner exchange.
The Ilyushin 76 cargo plane crashed in Russian airspace five to six kilometers from the village of Yablonovo in the Belgorod region. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the Defense Ministry condemned it as an act of terrorism.
“The aircraft was destroyed by the Ukrainian military from the Liptsi district of Kharkiv region using anti-aircraft missile systems,” the ministry said in a statement.
“Radar equipment of the Russian Aerospace Forces detected the launch of two Ukrainian missiles.”
According to the region’s governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the Belgorod region’s air defense systems were activated shortly before the crash.
Ukraine’s military command said it considered the Russian plane approaching Belgorod to be a legitimate target, but did not approve of firing at it.
Ukraine’s military chief of staff said in a carefully worded statement that the recent attack on the city of Kharkov, just 18 miles (30 kilometers) from Russia, was facilitated by Russian cargo planes carrying weapons near the border. He said that
“The intensity of the recorded shelling is directly related to the recent increase in the number of military transport aircraft heading towards Belgorod airfield,” the statement said.
“With this in mind, the Armed Forces of Ukraine continues to take measures to destroy delivery vehicles and control airspace to eliminate terrorist threats, including in the Belgorod-Kharkov direction.”
Ukrainian sources earlier said the plane was carrying missiles for the S-300 air defense system. CNN cannot independently verify either side’s claims.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Russia of “playing with the lives” of Ukrainian prisoners of war, saying: “Considering that the plane crash took place on Russian territory, it is necessary to establish the facts as clearly as possible. He called for an international investigation. It’s beyond our control. ”
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov told reporters on Wednesday that he had called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council following the crash.
loud and thunderous applause
A video geolocated by CNN appeared to show the last seconds of the IL-76 plane before it crashed to the ground.
The video, filmed in Yablonovo, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of the city of Belgorod, begins with the plane already in a steep dive. Just before it disappears behind passing trucks and trees, something that appears to be part of the aircraft can be seen falling from the front of the aircraft.
Two seconds later, after the plane disappears from view, a huge fireball and black smoke can be seen rising from the invisible point of impact with the ground.
The camera then pans sharply to the left, revealing what appears to be a small cloud of smoke. This could indicate a possible explosion of the plane, but the flight path of the plane cannot be determined with certainty from the video.
Multiple witnesses said they heard loud, thunderous applause as an air raid siren continued over the Russian city at the time of the crash.
“We heard one or two loud bangs, less than a minute apart. The second bang was louder. We all jumped out to see if anyone needed help. But the accident happened further away from the village. It was very noisy and scary,” one woman told Russian state media RIA Novosti.
“We heard three applause. The applause was quite loud and we thought something had fallen somewhere in here or maybe a missile had been shot down in the air. “The boys in our class started saying that there was an air raid siren going off in Belgorod,” said one young man.
Another man said there were “strong vibrations” in the room after the loud noise.
“The pilots of the Il-76 were able to take the plane away from the village of Yablonovo at the cost of their lives,” Georgy Borobikov, a local church pastor, said.
Ukrainian military claims on board
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said 65 Ukrainian military personnel were on board the plane and were being flown to Belgorod ahead of the prisoner exchange.
“It was supposed to transport 65 Ukrainian military personnel from the Moscow region to Belgorod. They were accompanied by three Russian officers and six crew members. All of them died,” Lavrov said. Told. “The Ukrainian side launched an air defense missile from the Kharkov region. It was aimed at the plane and it was a deadly attack.”
CNN cannot independently verify Russia’s claims.
Ukraine’s prisoner-of-war agency said it was investigating claims that the plane was carrying Ukrainian military personnel.
Ukraine has suggested that the Russian government may have intentionally endangered the lives of Ukrainian servicemen, although it appears unclear, at least publicly, whether there were actually Ukrainian prisoners on board. There is.
A statement from the Headquarters for the Coordination of Treatment of Prisoners of War in Ukraine did not provide further details, but it did state that Russia was “actively conducting special intelligence operations against Ukraine with the aim of destabilizing Ukrainian society.” “There is,” he warned.
Ukraine confirmed that a prisoner exchange with Russia was scheduled to take place on Wednesday. “That is not happening at the moment,” Andriy Yuson of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Service told CNN.
Ukraine’s defense intelligence service said in a subsequent statement that it had fulfilled its side of the agreement to bring the captured Russian military personnel to the agreed location. However, Ukraine said it had not received details from Russia on how Ukrainian military personnel would be brought in for the exchange, whether they would be moved by air, rail or road.
Importantly, the country said it had not been warned about challenging the security of Belgorod airspace at any given time, something it had been warned not to do “many times in the past.” Russia has an obligation to ensure the safety of prisoners of war, the statement added.
“This may indicate a deliberate action by Russia aimed at endangering the lives and safety of prisoners of war. Although it is safe to land a transport plane in a 30km combat zone, In any case, both sides should talk about it, otherwise the whole exchange process will be at risk.”
Russian officials said the plane also had six Russian crew members and three “accompanying members” on board. Andrei Kartapolov, head of the Russian parliament’s defense committee, said a second military plane, also an IL-76, carrying 80 additional prisoners had been diverted.
“The Ukrainian leadership was well aware of the impending exchange and was informed about how the prisoners would be handed over,” Kartapolov said. However, the IL-76 aircraft was shot down by three missiles equipped with either anti-aircraft missile systems, Patriot, or German-made IRIS. ”
Belgorod region governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said the cause of the crash was under investigation. “A transport plane crashed in the Korochansky district. It fell into a field near a settlement. All on board died,” Gladkov said. “The crash site is currently sealed off. All operational services are on site and investigative measures are being carried out,” he added.
Two Russian officials, including Maksim Egorov, the Russian governor of the Tambov region, claimed the plane changed course “to avoid danger to civilians” after crashing into a nearby village.
According to the European Aviation Safety Agency, the Ilyushin Il-76 is a Soviet-era military transport aircraft with a payload of more than 50 tons. euro control. It has been in operation since 1975.
The border city of Belgorod Worst attack in Ukraine In Russia at the end of last year. The attack killed at least 24 people, including three children, and injured 108 others, sparking a retaliatory Russian offensive against Ukraine’s Kharkov region.
The plane crash comes as Russia’s war in Ukraine is entering its third year, with little progress on the battlefield for either side in recent months.Western intelligence assessment Warning Movement on the battlefield may be even more sluggish this year.
Kiev and Moscow have exchanged prisoners throughout the conflict.The largest exchange took place in early January, when both sides each Exchanged over 200 prisoners.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN’s Katya Krebs contributed reporting.
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