Moscow: Reportedly, 65 people were killed when a Russian plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners crashed. A Russian IL-76 military transport plane crashed in the Belgrad region of Ukraine. The incident happened on Wednesday afternoon.
Russian media reported that the plane crashed while transporting prisoners to Kemera. Apart from the prisoners of war, there were six lifeguards and three security personnel on board. There are also reports that the plane was carrying missiles for the defense systems of the Russian Air Force.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the cause of the accident was unclear and a special military commission had been appointed to investigate the matter. A special team of the army has been dispatched to the area. Footage of the plane crash is circulating on social media.
Meanwhile, some Ukrainian media outlets reported that the plane had been shot down by Ukrainian forces, but later retracted the tweets.