Russia’s Defence Ministry has accused Ukrainian forces of shooting down a military transport plane, killing all 74 people aboard, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war who were being swapped.
Ukrainian officials did not immediately confirm or deny Russia’s claims about the crash in Russia’s Belgorod border region, although they said they were looking into them.
The Associated Press could not confirm who was aboard or other details on what brought the plane down.
Throughout the war, Russia and Ukraine have traded conflicting accusations, and establishing the facts has often been difficult, both because of the constraints of a war zone and because each side tightly controls information.
Video 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.
In addition to the 65 POWs, the Il-76 transport plane carried a crew of six and three other passengers, the Russian military said.
According to the statement, Russian radar registered the launch of two missiles from Ukraine’s Kharkiv region that borders the Belgorod region.
The ministry called the incident “a terrorist act”.
Firefighters, ambulances and police rushed to the site in the Korochansky district of Belgorod, state news agency Tass reported, citing a local emergency services official.
The Russian Defence Ministry said the POWs were being flown to the region for a prisoner swap when the plane was downed at 11.15am local time (8.15am Irish time).
Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andrii Yusov confirmed to media that a prisoner swap was to happen on Wednesday but was not going ahead.
He said the agency is checking whether Ukrainian POWs were on the plane.
The plane was en route to the Belgorod region from the Chkalovsky air field in the Moscow region surrounding the Russian capital, and the POW swap was scheduled to take place later on Wednesday at the Kolotilovka crossing on the Russian-Ukrainian border, the Russian statement read.
The Kolotilovka border crossing is roughly 135 kilometres (85 miles) west of Yablonovo village, near where the plane came down.
Ukraine’s Kharkiv region and Russia’s Belgorod region have long been a focus of the fighting, especially involving long-range air strikes with missiles and drones.
Russia has largely ensured its air dominance during the war, which marked its 700th day on Wednesday, against Ukraine’s fleet of Soviet-era warplanes.
But the Russian air force has suffered a string of crashes that some observers have attributed to a higher number of flights amid the fighting in Ukraine.
At the same time, Kyiv has boasted recently about shooting down two Russian command and control planes, which would be a major feat for Ukraine if true.
Cross-border attacks on Russia’s Belgorod region have also been ramped up lately, with the deadliest one killing 21 people in late December.
Shortly before the crash, Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on his Telegram channel that a “missile alert” had been triggered in the region and warned residents to take shelter.
Ukraine’s Co-ordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said it was looking into the crash but did not immediately provide any information.
Instead, it cautioned against sharing “unverified information”.
“We emphasise that the enemy is actively conducting information special operations against Ukraine aimed at destabilising Ukrainian society,” it said in a statement on Telegram.
The Russian Defence Ministry said a special military commission was on the way to the crash site.
Russian president Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on his call with reporters that he could not comment on the crash because he did not have enough information about it.
The Il-76 is designed to carry up to 225 troops, cargo, military equipment and weapons, according to Russia’s military export agency.
The war’s 1,500-kilometre (930-mile) front line has been largely static amid a second winter of fighting.
As both sides seek to replenish their weapons stockpiles, the war has recently focused on long-range strikes.
Earlier, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said a major Russian missile attack on Tuesday had killed 18 people and injured 130.
The barrage, employing more than 40 ballistic, cruise, anti-aircraft and guided missiles hit 130 residential buildings in three Ukrainian cities, “all ordinary houses”, Mr Zelenskiy said on X, formerly Twitter.
Today, Russia launched around forty missiles of various types in an attempt to evade our air defenses.
We were able to intercept the majority of them, but there were still some hits. Over 200 different objects were damaged. 130 residential buildings, all ordinary houses. 130… pic.twitter.com/Clep0GALtO— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 23, 2024
Russia’s onslaught, which included targets in the capital Kyiv and second-largest city Kharkiv, was the heaviest in weeks and lent weight to Mr Zelenskiy’s appeals for Western allies to provide more military aid.
“This year, the main priority is to strengthen air defence to protect our cities and towns, as well as defend frontline positions,” Mr Zelenskiy posted late on Tuesday.
Analysts say Russia stockpiled missiles to pursue a winter of aerial bombardment, while Ukraine has sought to strike inside Russia with new types of drones.
Russia may have employed decoy missiles in Tuesday’s attack in an effort to open up holes in Ukraine’s air defences, a US think tank said.
The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said Moscow is probably trying to acquire more ballistic missiles from foreign countries, including Iran and North Korea, because they may be more effective in some circumstances.
A further barrage of Russian S-300 missiles struck residential districts of Kharkiv late on Tuesday, injuring nine people and damaging residential buildings, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
Russia denies its forces strike civilian areas, although there is substantial evidence to the contrary.
The Russian Defence Ministry said that air defences shot down four Ukrainian drones over the Oryol region of western Russia early on Wednesday.
Oryol mayor Yuri Parakhin said that several drones were downed over the city.
He said there were no casualties, but windows were shattered in apartment buildings.
Another Ukrainian drone was downed early on Wednesday over the Belgorod border region, according to Mr Gladkov.
He said there were no casualties or damage.
Ukraine’s allies have promised to keep sending military aid packages, even though their resources are stretched.
Help from the United States, by far Ukraine’s single biggest provider, has also hit political snags.
The German Defence Ministry announced on Wednesday that it plans to send six Sea King Mk41 helicopters to Ukraine.
