[Watch] 65 Prisoners Of War Killed As Russian Plane Blows Up; Ukraine Disagrees

Moscow: A heavy-lift military transport aircraft carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) crashed in the border region of Russia’s Belgorod.

Russia said there are no survivors in the crash.

The POWs were being transported for a swap agreement.

“At around 11 am Moscow time (1.30 pm IST), an IL-76 aircraft crashed in the Belgorod region during a routine flight. On board were 65 captured Ukrainian army servicemen who were being transported to Belgorod region for exchange, six crew members and three escorts,” AFP reported quoting Russian defence ministry.

A video of the crash has gone viral on social media.

Shot from a distance, the clip shows the aircraft losing altitude and heading towards the ground.

Watch the 27-second video posted on X:

According to officials, the IL-76 aircraft was out of pilot’s control and was up in flames as it crashed on its right wing near a residential area.

Even as Russia’s Parliament speaker Vyacheslav Volodin accused Ukraine of shooting down the plane carrying POWs, local media in Ukraine claimed that Russian defence forces brought down the aircraft as it was carrying missiles for the S-300 surface-air defence system, and not POWs.

Regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said that a probe has been launched, and an investigation team and emergency services are working round the clock at the site.