A Russian Armed Forces plane crashed on Wednesday in the Belgorod region, near the border with Ukraine. According to the Defense Ministry, there were more than 60 Ukrainian prisoners on board who were to be exchanged for Russian soldiers in the next few hours.
Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has confirmed the deaths of all 74 occupants of the Russian Il-76 military transport aircraft, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war who crashed this morning in the border region with Ukraine.
A commission of experts has already arrived on site to advance the investigation, which the governor of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, also reported on social networks. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated to the media that the authorities are working to clarify the circumstances of this incident.
HoweverThe chairman of the Duma Defense Commission, Andrei Kartapolov, has already attributed the incident to an attack with three rockets and has stated that a second plane, also carrying prisoners, turned around after the first plane crashed.
Prisoner exchange
According to Kartapolov, Kiev was aware of this upcoming exchange, which was expected to benefit a total of 192 people from both parties.
However, Ukrainian authorities did not initially comment on the incident, and Defense Ministry sources consulted by Suspilne public broadcaster said they were still investigating the incident.
Ukraine and Russia have agreed to several prisoner exchanges since Russian aggression began in February 2023, the most numerous of them this month. Thanks to Emirati mediation, almost fifty people from both sides were able to return.
