ASSOCIATED PRESS VIDEO
UGC VIDEO VALIDATED THROUGH PARTNER PRESS
In this photo taken from a validated UGC video, a warplane flies before crashing into a residential domain near Yablonovo in the Belgorod region. Russia says an army transport plane carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war crashed in a Russian region near Ukraine.
A Russian army transport plane crashed today in a border region near Ukraine, and Moscow accused Kyiv of shooting it down, saying the other 74 people on board were killed, adding to 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war en route to an exchange. provided any evidence and Ukraine did not verify or deny it.
Video of the crash on social media from the Belgorod border region of Russia showed a plane falling from the sky in a snowy, rural area, and a massive ball of fire erupting where it apparently hit the ground.
The Associated Press may simply not verify who was on board or other major points about the cause of the plane’s descent.
Throughout the 700-day war, Russia and Ukraine have traded contradictory accusations and it has proved difficult to piece together the facts, either because of the limitations of a war zone or because each aspect tightly controls information.
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that the Il-76 transport plane was carrying 65 prisoners of war, a team of six and three Russian servicemen. Russian radar recorded the launch of two missiles from Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, which borders Belgorod, he said.
“We’ve noticed those reports, we can’t verify them,” said John Kirby, a spokesman for the U. S. National Security Council.
Separately, a U.S. official said that it’s not clear that there were actually Ukrainian POWs aboard the aircraft that crashed. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details that haven’t been announced publicly.
Hours after the turn of fate, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine made no mention of the turn of fate in a statement. But he adds that Ukraine is targeting Russian military aircraft suspected of launching missiles, specifically near the border.
Russia lost two warplanes and two helicopters in its own airspace in one day in May 2023. Kyiv officials initially denied involvement, but later said they had used Patriot missiles to hit the aircraft.
The Kharkiv and Belgorod regions have long been in the midst of clashes between neighbors, missile and drone airstrikes.
The Russian military said the POWs were being flown to the region for a prisoner swap when the plane shot down at 11:15 a. m. local time (08:15 GMT; 3:15 a. m. EST). The Il-76 is designed to carry 225 soldiers, cargo, military aircraft and weapons, according to the Russian military’s export agency.
Ukrainian military intelligence confirmed a swap was due to take place, but said that it had no information about who was on the plane. Moscow didn’t ask for specific airspace to be kept safe for a certain length of time, as has happened in past exchanges, it said in a statement.
At a press conference at the United Nations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council later that day; he had “no concern” about the credibility of the foreign community in the face of Moscow’s accusations.
But the U. N. Security Council has already scheduled an assembly to hear from many countries that were unable to speak at Tuesday’s ministerial assembly on the Israel-Hamas war, and France, which holds the council’s presidency, has indicated that the emergency assembly will be held. . Thursday at 17:00 EST (22:00 GMT).
Russian officials and lawmakers have debated whether to continue more prisoner swaps between Moscow and Kyiv. The most recent, brokered through the United Arab Emirates, took place this month and is the largest to date, with the return of 230 Ukrainian prisoners of war and the release of 248 Russians. It is the first in just five months and the 49th of the war.
Russia largely asserted its air dominance during the war against Ukraine’s fleet of Soviet-era fighter jets. But Russia has suffered a series of injuries that some observers have attributed to an increased number of flights due to the fighting in Ukraine.
At the same time, Kyiv boasted that it shot down two Russian planes and commandos, which would be a prime feat for Ukraine if true. Cross-border attacks in Russia’s Belgorod region have also increased; The deadliest killed another 25 people in December. .
Shortly before the crash, Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov claimed on his Telegram channel that a “missile alert” had been issued in the region.
Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said it was investigating the crash but did not provide any information without delay. Instead, he warned that he was opposed to sharing “unverified information. “
“We emphasize that the enemy is actively conducting information special operations against Ukraine aimed at destabilizing Ukrainian society,” it said in a statement on Telegram.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters in the morning that he couldn’t comment on the crash, because he didn’t have enough information about it. There was no comment from the Kremlin later in the day.
The war’s 1,500-kilometer (930-mile) front line remained largely static amid a second winter of fighting. As both sides seek to fill their weapons arsenals, the war has recently focused on long-range strikes.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a first Russian missile strike on Tuesday killed another 18 people and wounded 130 others.
The shelling, which used more than 40 ballistic, cruise, anti-aircraft and guided missiles, hit 130 residential buildings in 3 Ukrainian cities, “all houses,” Zelensky said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The Russian offensive, which included targets in Kyiv and the second-largest city of Kharkiv, was the most intense in weeks and gave weight to Zelensky’s calls for Western allies to provide more military aid.
“This year, the main priority is to strengthen air defense to protect our cities and towns, as well as defend front-line positions,” Zelenskyy tweeted Tuesday.
Analysts say Russia has stockpiled missiles to continue a winter of aerial bombardment, while Ukraine has tried to target Russia with new types of drones.
Russia may have used decoy missiles in Tuesday’s attack in an effort to blow holes in Ukraine’s air defenses, a U. S. think tank said.
The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said Moscow would most likely try to get more ballistic missiles from foreign countries, adding Iran and North Korea, because they could be more effective under certain circumstances.
A new barrage of Russian S-300 missiles hit residential areas of Kharkiv on Tuesday night, wounding nine more people and damaging residential buildings, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
Russia denies that its forces are targeting civilian areas; In fact, there is abundant evidence to the contrary.
Also today, the Russian Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down 4 Ukrainian drones in the Orel region of western Russia. Orel Mayor Yuri Parakhin said several drones were shot down over the city causing casualties.
Another Ukrainian drone was downed early Wednesday over the Belgorod border region, according to Gladkov. He said that there were no casualties or damage.
Two Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight over the Bryansk region, Governor Alexander Bogomaz said.
Ukraine’s allies have promised more military aid even though their resources are limited. Aid from the United States, which is by far Ukraine’s largest supplier, has also faced political obstacles.
The German Defense Ministry announced its goal of sending six Sea King Mk41 helicopters to Ukraine.
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