The aircraft went down near the Ukrainian border in Russia’s Belgorod area.
In the Russian border region of Belgorod, sixty-five Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) were killed when a Russian heavy-lift military transport aircraft, the IL-76, crashed. The transit of the POWs was part of a swap exchange. According to Russia, there were no survivors in the jet accident.
The IL-76 was out of the pilot’s control when it fell close to a residential neighbourhood, as shown in a distant video of the incident that showed the aircraft rapidly losing altitude and going straight towards the earth. The aeroplane burst into flames and crashed on its right wing.
“An IL-76 aircraft crashed in the Belgorod region during a routine flight at around 11 am Moscow time (0800 GMT),” the Moscow defence ministry was quoted by AFP as saying.
“On board were 65 captured Ukrainian army servicemen being transported to the Belgorod region for exchange, six crew members and three escorts,” added the statement.
Russia, meanwhile, has maintained that the aircraft was carrying prisoners of war; but, according to AFP, which cited Ukrainian local media, the aircraft was shot down by its own defence forces because it was carrying missiles for the S-300 surface-air defence system, not prisoners. Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the Russian parliament, has charged Kyiv with shooting down the aircraft transporting POWs.
“They fired airguns at their own men. In a plenary session, Volodin addressed the MPs as “their own.” “Our pilots, who were carrying out a humanitarian mission, were shot down.”
Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov posted on Telegram that the collision happened in the Korochansky district, northeast of the region’s capital.
“Currently, emergency services and an investigating team are on the scene. Gladkov stated, “I have adjusted my work schedule and made the trip to the district.
The Russian IL-76 is intended to transport soldiers, supplies, and war hardware, including ammunition, howitzers, and tanks, via air. The aircraft was produced by Ilyushin and entered service during the USSR’s existence in the 1970s. The plane was intended to take the place of the An-12 (Antonov 12). The Indian Air Force also operates the aircraft, which comes in both military and civilian versions.
The Indian Air Force’s (IAF) C-17 Globemaster III and C-130J Hercules are US-based aircraft, whereas the IAF’s ageing IL-76 fleet is restricted.