Russian Military Plane Reportedly Carrying Prisoners of War Crashes, Ukraine and President Zelensky Seek Clarity

Illushin IL-76 aircraft illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Alexander Yamampolsky)

JAKARTA - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his video speech Wednesday evening demanded a full explanation regarding the cause of the crash of a Russian military plane in the Russian border region, accusing Moscow of "playing with the lives of Ukrainian prisoners of war."

"It is clear that Russia is playing with the lives of Ukrainian prisoners, the feelings of their loved ones, and the emotions of our society," said President Zelensky, as reported by Reuters, January 25.

Previously, Russian officials accused Ukraine of deliberately shooting down an Il-76 military transport plane in the Belgorod region on Wednesday. It was said to be carrying a crew of six, 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war who were rumored to be taking part in the exchange, as well as three bodyguards.

"On January 24 this year an Ilyushin-76 transport plane crashed in the Belgorod Region during a scheduled flight at around 11.00 a.m. Moscow time," said the Russian Ministry of Defense, reported by TASS.

"There were 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war transferred to the Belgorod Region for exchange and three bodyguards on board," the ministry continued.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also said that the prisoners would take part in the exchange.

"The plane was carrying 65 Ukrainian soldiers from the Moscow region to Belgorod. They were accompanied by three Russian officers plus a crew of six people. All of them died," said Foreign Minister Lavrov, quoted by CNN.

The Russian Defense Ministry called the plane crash an act of terrorism.

President Volodymyr Zelensky with the Ukrainian military. (Source: President.gov.ua)

"The plane was destroyed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces from Liptsy region, Kharkiv region, using an anti-aircraft missile system," the ministry said.

"Russian Air Force radar equipment observed the launch of two Ukrainian missiles," he continued.

The air defense system in the Belgorod region was active shortly before the crash, according to the region's governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.

Separately, Ukraine's military command said it considered a Russian military plane approaching Belgorod a legitimate target, but did not admit it fired on the plane.

In a carefully worded statement, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said the recent attack in the city of Kharkiv, located just 18 miles (30 km) from Russia, was on a Russian cargo plane carrying weapons close to the border.

"The recorded intensity of shelling is directly related to the recent increase in the number of military transport aircraft heading to the Belgorod airfield," the statement said.

"With this in mind, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will continue to take measures to destroy shipping means and control airspace to eliminate the terrorist threat, including in the Belgorod-Kharkiv direction."

The Ukrainska Pravda website quoted the Ukrainian General Staff as initially saying the plane was carrying missiles for Russia's S-300 air defense system, making no mention of any prisoners of war, as reported by the BBC.

A Ukrainian government agency for prisoners of war said it was investigating claims the plane was carrying Ukrainian soldiers.

Ukraine still appears unsure, at least publicly, whether Ukrainian detainees were actually on the plane, but suggests Moscow may have deliberately endangered the lives of Ukrainian soldiers.

A statement from the "Headquarters for Coordination of the Treatment of Ukrainian Prisoners of War" did not provide further details but warned that Russia was "actively conducting special information operations against Ukraine aimed at destabilizing Ukrainian society."

However, Ukraine confirmed a prisoner of war exchange with Russia was scheduled to take place on Wednesday.

"This is not the case at the moment,"Andriy Yuson, of Ukrainian Defense Intelligence.

Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Service said in a subsequent statement that it had fulfilled the agreement, taking the captured Russian soldiers to the agreed location. However, it said Ukraine had not received details from Russia about how the Ukrainian soldiers would be transported, whether they would be moved by air, rail or road.

The agency underlined that it had not been warned not to take military action regarding the Belgorod airspace at the specified time, something it had been warned not to do "many times in the past." Russia has an obligation to ensure the safety of prisoners of war, the statement added.

"This may indicate a deliberate action by Russia aimed at endangering the lives and safety of prisoners. Landing a transport aircraft in a 30-kilometer combat zone is not a safe action and in any case should be discussed by both parties, because otherwise it would endanger the entire exchange process."