LOOK. Images show gigantic explosion after plane crash
According to the Russians, a Russian military plane carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, as well as nine crew members and guards, crashed in Belgorod, the region bordering Ukraine. The prisoners of war would be exchanged with Russian prisoners, Defense in Russia said on social media.
In a statement published hours after the crash, but which did not say anything about the crash, the Ukrainian military vowed to continue “destroying aircraft and controlling airspace to eliminate the terrorist threat, including in the Belgorod-Kharkiv region”.
Ukrainian military intelligence said it had no reliable information about the passengers on board the shot down Russian plane.
“We do not have complete information at this time about the people who were on board the aircraft or their numbers,” the intelligence agency said. “A prisoner exchange was planned for today, but it did not take place,” the agency added. The intelligence service assured that Ukraine “had not been informed of the need to secure the airspace in the region.”