A Russian military transport plane crashed in the border region of Belgorod on Wednesday, January 24, claiming the lives of all 74 people on board, as confirmed by Russia's Defence Ministry.
The ill-fated Ilyushin Il-76 was reportedly carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war (PoWs) who were slated for a swap between Russia and Ukraine. The remaining passengers comprised six crew members and three others.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the Governor of the Belgorod region, announced that all 74 occupants of the plane had tragically died. The Ukrainian government has yet to provide an official statement on the incident.
Initial reports from Ukrainskaya Pravda, citing sources, suggested that Kyiv's armed forces had shot down the aircraft. However, the publication later retracted the claim.
Social media circulated footage capturing the horrifying moment when the plane crashed and exploded in a massive fireball, with subsequent images displaying wreckage strewn across a snowy field.
The Ilyushin Il-76, a Soviet-designed military transport aircraft, is specifically engineered for the airlift of troops, cargo, military equipment, and weapons.
Russian officials swiftly pointed fingers at Ukraine, accusing them of intentionally downing the transport plane.
Vyacheslav Volodin, the Speaker of the Duma, asserted that Kyiv had "shot down" their own soldiers in the air during what was supposed to be a humanitarian mission. He attributed the incident to Western missiles.
During a parliamentary session, Andrei Kartapolov, a senior lawmaker and retired general, claimed that the plane had been shot down by three missiles. Kartapolov did not disclose the source of his information but suggested that investigations would reveal whether the missiles were Western-supplied Patriots or Iris-Ts.
The Russian parliamentarian further alleged that Russia and Ukraine were on the brink of exchanging 192 prisoners each on the same day as the tragic crash. The Ukrainian state body responsible for prisoner exchanges did not confirm the incident but cautioned against believing "enemy propaganda resources about the crash."
Earlier this month, both nations had announced the largest exchange of prisoners since the commencement of the conflict, involving the return of over 200 soldiers from each side. The mediation for this deal was facilitated by the United Arab Emirates.
The Belgorod region, situated along the Ukrainian border, has been a crucial point on Russian supply lines and has faced sustained shelling and drone attacks for several months. December witnessed a missile strike on the region's capital, resulting in the loss of 25 lives.
(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)
