Russian Military Plane With 65 On Board Crashes

Agency Report

A plane that Russia says was carrying 65 Ukrainian POWs crashed. An official says all aboard died.

A military transport plane that Russia said was carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war crashed Wednesday in a Russian region near Ukraine. All aboard were killed, according to the governor.

It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the crash in the Belgorod region. Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov didn’t specify how many people were on the plane or who they were.

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The Associated Press could not confirm who was on board, and Ukrainian officials cautioned against sharing unverified information.

Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, citing the ministry, reported that the POWs were being transported to the border region for a prisoner exchange.

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.

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Firefighters, ambulances and police rushed to the site of the crash in the Korochansky district of Belgorod, state news agency Tass said, citing a local emergency services official.

Two senior Russian lawmakers alleged, without providing evidence, that the plane was brought down by missiles launched by Ukrainian forces.

Shortly before the crash, Vyacheslav Gladkov, Belgorod’s governor, said on his Telegram channel that a “missile alert” had been triggered in the region and warned residents to take shelter.