Russian plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war is downed on border
- 24 January, 05:34
Moscow on Wednesday accused Kyiv of shooting down a plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war to an exchange in Russia’s border region of Belgorod. All 74 people on board the Ilyushin II-76 were killed, including six crew members, according to Russian sources.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the plane was downed by an anti-aircraft missile system deployed in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, some 80 kilometers from where the plane came down. The ministry also said that Kyiv knew well that the Ukrainian prisoners of war would be transported by military aircraft to the Belgorod airfield for an exchange on the border with Ukraine’s Sumy region.
Ukrainian military intelligence neither denied nor confirmed downing the Russian plane, but accused Russia of failing to provide advance notice of which aircraft would be carrying the captured Ukrainian servicemen to the swap. Ukraine also accused Russia of failure to ensure safety of the Ukrainian prisoners of war. In a night address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said “Russia was playing with the lives of Ukrainian prisoners of war.”
“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.
Belgorod region bordering Ukraine has come under intensified Ukrainian missile and drone attacks for months including a missile attack that killed 25 people.
