Russia accuses Ukraine of killing 65 of its own PoWs by shooting down plane
(Reuters) – Russia accused Ukraine on Wednesday of deliberately shooting down a Russian military transport plane carrying 65 captured Ukrainian soldiers to a prisoner exchange in what it called a barbaric act of terrorism that had killed a total of 74 people.
Ukraine did not directly confirm it had shot down the Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane, which was downed near the Russian city of Belgorod near the Ukrainian border, and challenged key parts of Moscow’s narrative. Nor did it confirm that Ukrainian prisoners were on board.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in his evening address said greater clarity was needed about what happened, paticularly when it came to who was on board.
“It is clear that the Russians are playing with the lives of Ukrainian prisoners, the feelings of their loved ones and the emotions of our society,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has yet to comment on the incident.
Video footage posted on Telegram by Baza, a channel linked to Russian security services, and verified by Reuters, showed a large aircraft falling to the ground near the village of Yablonovo in Belgorod region and exploding in a fireball.
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