The Russian Ministry of Defense has accused Ukraine of downing the military transport aircraft that crashed on Wednesday, claiming its radar detected the launch of two Ukrainian missiles. Authorities in Russia's Belgorod region reported that all 74 individuals on board, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, were killed in the incident. Moscow stated that the aircraft was transporting Ukrainian POWs for a prisoner swap with Russia.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry denied any responsibility for the downing of the Russian Il-76 transport aircraft, which also had 9 crew members on board. The Ukrainian public television channel reported that the Ukrainian Defense Ministry announced it "cannot currently confirm that its forces shot down the aircraft and will continue to investigate."
After the Russian Defense Ministry disclosed that Ukrainian prisoners were on the aircraft, the newspaper "Ukrainskaya Pravda" deleted its report about the aircraft being shot down by Kyiv forces, along with all related news. Andrei Kartapolov, head of the Defense Committee of the State Duma, stated that the aircraft was shot down by three missiles, and another plane carrying 80 prisoners was flying behind the targeted aircraft but returned.
Russian media reported the Russian Defense Ministry's statement that "a military transport aircraft of the Il-76 type crashed in the Belgorod region of Russia." The agency added that on board were 65 prisoners of war and a crew of six, along with three others who were scheduled to be exchanged for Russian captives. A Russian official revealed that everyone aboard the military transport aircraft had died.
TASS news agency quoted the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stating that Ukraine shot down the military transport aircraft, describing the incident as a "barbaric" act. Kartapolov did not mention the source of his information and stated that investigations would reveal whether the missiles were of the Patriot or Iris-T type.
