Russia says no survivors in Ukraine prisoners plane crash

MOSCOW — Russia said on Wednesday that an IL-76 military transport plane carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners had crashed in the western Belgorod region, bordering Ukraine, killing everyone on board.

"At about 11:00 Moscow time, an IL-76 plane crashed in the Belgorod region during a scheduled flight. There were 65 captured servicemen of the Ukraine armed forces on board and transported to the Belgorod region," Russia's Sputnik news agency reported, citing the Russian defense ministry.

The plane was carrying 74 people, including six crew and three guards, when it crashed, Reuters reported.

"Everyone on board died," the Belgorod regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on social media.

Shortly before the crash, Gladkov said on his Telegram channel that a "missile alert" had been triggered in the region and warned residents to take shelter.

According to Sputnik, a Russian investigation team flew to the crash site to establish the cause of the disaster.

Chairman of the Russian State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin said he believes the Ukrainian military shot down the plane, according to the report.

He instructed lawmakers to prepare an appeal to the US Congress and Germany's Bundestag in connection with the plane crash to show foreign governments how Kyiv is using their military assistance.

"There is a proposal to investigate what missiles and launchers were used. Let's prepare an appeal to the US Congress and the German Bundestag so that the deputies can finally see who they are funding and helping," Volodin said.

Looking into situation

The Kremlin said in response to a reporter's question that it was looking into the situation.

Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said it was looking into the crash but did not immediately provide any information.

Footage of the crash posted on social media 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.

"It was absolutely deliberate. They knew very well that the plane was en route, where it was going and the operators of (Ukrainian) surface-to-air missile systems cannot mistake transport planes for military planes or helicopters as targets," Andrey Kartapolov, a lawmaker in Russia's parliament, said in a TV interview.

"It was done deliberately to sabotage the prisoner exchange."

Mykhailo Podolyak, a Ukrainian presidential adviser, told Reuters: "Comments will come a little later. Time is needed to clarify all the data."

Agencies—Xinhua