A military plane reportedly conveying 65 captured Ukrainian soldiers back to Ukraine from Russia was shot down just near the border, Russian defence ministry said on Wednesday.
The plane reportedly crashed in Belgorod, near the Ukrainian border, according to media reports.
Belgorod is the administrative centre of Belgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Seversky Donets River, approximately 40 kilometres north of the border with Ukraine. It has a population of 339,978.
“On board were 65 captured Ukrainian army servicemen being transported for exchange, six crew members and three escorts,” the ministry said.
Rescue teams rushed to the scene as they saw the plane fall from the air in a ball of fire, according to the local governor.
He said that there were no survivors.
A spokesperson for Ukrainian military intelligence did say a prisoner exchange had been planned for Wednesday
Verified video showed a plane going down near the village of Yablonovo, 70km (44 miles) to the northeast of Belgorod
Russia’s foreign ministry, however, accused Ukraine of shooting down the plane – but provided no evidence.
The plane was flying from the Chkalovsky air base near Moscow to Belgorod, Russia, before it was shot down.
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