Moscow: A Russian military transport plane has crashed in the southern Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, resulting in the killing of at least 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war. Quoting Russia’s Ministry of Defence, Ria Novosti news agency said another nine people were on board, including six crew.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that an IL-76 cargo aircraft carrying 65 captured Ukrainian service members as well as six crew members and three people accompanying the POWs went down during a pre-planned flight at around 11 am local time. The ministry said that the prisoners were being transported to the Belgorod region for an exchange.

Notably, the Il-76 is a military transport aircraft designed to airlift troops, cargo, military equipment and weapons. It has a normal crew of five people and can carry up to 90 passengers.

Ukrainian missiles involved in the crash: Report

Local governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said that an unspecified “incident” had occurred in the region’s Korochansky district, northeast of Belgorod city, and that he was going to inspect the site. He said investigators and emergency workers were already on the scene. The Kremlin said in response to a reporter’s question that it was looking into the situation. Some media reported that the Ukrainian army launched missiles which resulted in the crash. However, India TV is not in a position to verify the claims.

Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, has come under frequent attacks from Ukraine in recent months, including a December missile strike which killed 25 people.

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(With inputs from agency)