Russian Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane crashes. RussiaAll 74 passengers and crew were killed in the Belgorod region, Moscow claimed.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said 65 captured Ukrainian servicemen were on board the plane when it crashed at around 11am local time (8am in the UK) on Wednesday, but Ukrainian officials said disputes the claim.
Russian state media said the plane was carrying six Russian crew members and three security guards, as well as prisoners who were being transferred to a border area for a prisoner exchange.
According to Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, all on board were killed. He declined to say how many people were on the plane or who was on board.
Russia accused Ukraine of intentionally shooting down the plane.
Ukrainian media outlet Ukraineska Pravda initially said, citing military sources, that Kiev shot down the plane because it was carrying an S-300 missile, but the information was later confirmed by other sources. The article has been corrected as it was not.
Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, said Russia’s claim that the plane was carrying Ukrainian prisoners rather than missiles was an attempt by Russia’s defense ministry to “save face.”
According to the newspaper, some Russian military bloggers have questioned why Moscow would use planes to transport Ukrainian prisoners. However, such aircraft had previously been used to bring back Russian prisoners of war from Ukraine as part of an exchange agreement with Kiev.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Comments will come a little later. We need time to clarify all the data,” said Mykhailo Podlyak, an aide to the Ukrainian president.
The cause of the crash and details of those on board have not yet been independently verified.
A video posted on the Telegram messenger app by Baza, a channel linked to Russian security services, showed a large aircraft plummeting to the ground in a snowy countryside and exploding in a vast fireball. .
The Il-76 is a military transport aircraft designed to transport troops, cargo, military equipment, and weapons by air. It typically has a crew of five and can carry up to 90 passengers. President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a morning call with reporters that he could not comment because he did not have enough information about the crash.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said authorities were investigating the cause of the crash and a special military commission was on its way to the crash site.
Andrei Kartapolov, a member of the Russian State Duma and a retired general, claimed that the military transport plane was shot down by three missiles of the type supplied to Ukraine by Western countries.
Mr. Kartapolov did not identify the source of the information. He said the investigation will determine whether the missile is a Patriot or an IRIS-T.
Local governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Wednesday that an unspecified “incident” had occurred in the region’s Kolochansky district, northeast of the city of Belgorod, and that he would inspect the scene.
borders the Belgorod region ukraine Russia’s southern region has come under frequent attack from Ukraine in recent months, including a missile attack in December that killed 25 people.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said 18 people had been killed and 130 injured in a major Russian missile attack apparently designed to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defenses. .
Ukraine marks the 700th day since the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of the country began.
Early Tuesday morning, a barrage of fire with more than 40 ballistic, cruise, anti-aircraft and guided missiles hit 130 residential buildings in three Ukrainian cities, or “all civilian housing,” Zelensky said. said on X (formerly Twitter).
The Russian onslaught, which also targeted the capital Kiev and second city Kharkiv, was the heaviest in recent weeks and added weight to Mr Zelensky’s momentum. appeal to Western allies to provide further military aid.
“The main priority this year is to strengthen air defense not only to protect front-line positions, but also to protect cities and towns,” the Ukrainian leader told X on Tuesday night.
The 930-mile front has remained largely stationary in frigid weather, and recent wars have focused on long-range strikes as both sides seek to replenish their weapons stockpiles.
Analysts say Russia is stockpiling missiles for a winter air campaign, while Ukraine aims to use new drones to attack Russian territory.
The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War says ballistic missiles can be more effective in some situations, so the Russian government is trying to acquire more ballistic missiles from foreign countries, including Iran and North Korea. He said it was highly likely.
Late Tuesday, Russian S-300 missiles hit a residential area of Kharkiv with another barrage of fire, injuring nine people and damaging residential buildings, regional governor Ole Sinyevov announced.
Although Russia denies its military attacks on civilian areas, there is substantial evidence to the contrary.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced that its air defense forces shot down four Ukrainian drones over the Oryol region in western Russia early Wednesday morning.
Ukraine’s allies have pledged to continue sending military aid packages despite stretched resources. Aid from the United States, Ukraine’s single largest donor, has also run into political problems.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak this month Britain signs deal committing to provide £2.5bn of military aid to Ukraine This is to support the war with Russia over the next year.
Meanwhile, the German Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday plans to send six Sea King Mk41 multipurpose helicopters from the Bundeswehr to Ukraine.
The government says almost 6 billion euros (5.13 billion pounds) of military supplies have been received from Germany since the start of the war, including substantial anti-aircraft and air defense systems.
