At least 74 people, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs), were killed when a Russian military transport aircraft crashed in the Belgorod region Wednesday.
Russia's Defense Ministry has accused Ukrainian forces of shooting down the Ilyushin Il-76 plane, while Ukrainian officials have yet to comment on the crash.
In addition to the 65 POWs, the 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 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.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the POWs were being transported to the region for a prisoner exchange when the plane was downed at 11:15 a.m. local time (8:15 a.m. GMT).
The plane was en route to the Belgorod region from the Chkalovsky airfield in the Moscow region surrounding the Russian capital, and the POW swap was scheduled to take place later Wednesday at the Kolotilovka crossing on the Russian-Ukrainian border, the statement read.
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 also have been ramped up lately, with the deadliest one killing 21 people in late December.
Shortly before the crash, Belgorod Gov. 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 Coordination 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 emphasize that the enemy is actively conducting information special operations against Ukraine aimed at destabilizing Ukrainian society," it said in a statement on Telegram.
The Russian Defense Ministry said a special military commission was on the way to the crash site.
President Vladimir Putin's spokesman 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-kilometer (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 recently has focused on long-range strikes.
