Moscow, Jan 24: Russia’s Defence Ministry on Wednesday accused Ukrainian forces of shooting down a military transport plane, killing all 74 people aboard, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war being swapped. The POWs were being transported to Russia’s Belgorod region, the ministry said.
Ukrainian officials did not comment on the crash and The Associated Press could not confirm who was aboard. Officials in Kyiv cautioned against sharing unverified information.
In addition to the 65 POWs, the Il-76 transport carried a crew of six and three other passengers, the ministry said. According to the statement, Russian radar registered the launch of two Ukrainian missiles from Ukraine’s Kharkiv region bordering Belgorod. The ministry called the attack “a terrorist act”.
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.
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.
Meanwhile, at least five people were killed in Russia’s strikes on Ukraine’s Kharkiv and Kiev, local authorities said. Regional Military Administration head Oleh Syniehubov Russia struck the Kyivskyi and Saltivskyi districts of Kharkiv with Kh-22 missiles in which four people were killed, Ukrianska Pravda reported.
He said the Russian missile strike destroyed an apartment block. “People are under the rubble. Rescuers and other emergency services are working at the scene,” he added. (Agencies)
According to a local power operator, Kharkivoblenergo, energy companies are already working to restore electricity supply to the residential quarters.
In Kiev, one person was killed and four others injured.
At least eight explosions were reported in Kharkiv.
However, the Russian military said that it does not target civilians when it hit objects in Ukraine. (AP)
