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The cause of the crash is unclear. The information about the plane’s occupants is contradictory. An overview.
What happened? On Wednesday afternoon, a Russian military plane crashed northeast of the Russian city of Belgorod, on the border with Ukraine. The governor of the Russian region wrote on his Telegram channel that everyone on board had died. The aircraft is an Ilyushin Il-75, a large military transport aircraft designed to transport troops, cargo and weapons.
What caused the crash? As of now, there is no confirmed cause of the crash. Russia accuses the Ukrainian armed forces of shooting down the plane. The head of the State Duma Defense Committee, Andrei Kartapolov, claims that the plane was shot down with American or German anti-aircraft missiles. However, experts doubt that Ukraine has placed the expensive anti-aircraft systems right on the border, where they can be easily attacked by Russia. The Ukrainian news portal Ukrainska Pravda originally reported that the Ukrainian military had spoken of the plane being shot down. However, this version was changed.
Who was on the plane? There is no independent information as to who or what the plane was transporting. The Russian Defense Ministry claims there were 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war on board who were to be flown for an exchange. There were also six crew members and three accompanying persons on the plane. According to information from the Ukrainian General Staff, however, the aircraft was supposed to bring S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to the front, as “Ukrainskaya Pravda” reports. Early on Wednesday evening, Ukrainian military intelligence HUR said there was no reliable and comprehensive information about who exactly and how many were on board.
Was a prisoner exchange actually planned? Ukraine confirmed that an exchange of prisoners of war had actually been planned for Wednesday. The secret service said that all agreements were adhered to and the Russian soldiers were brought to the exchange site on time. Unlike previous exchanges, Ukraine was not asked to ensure security in the airspace around the Belgorod region.
What could the lack of airspace safety mean? The fact that the Ukrainian side was not informed this time about the exact Russian means of transport “could indicate deliberate measures by Russia aimed at endangering the lives and safety of prisoners,” wrote the Ukrainian secret service. Russian state media interpreted the announcement as indirect confirmation that the Ukrainians had shot down the plane with their own soldiers on board. However, there is no official confirmation from Kiev.
How does it go from here? The Ukrainian Coordination Center for Prisoners of War said it was investigating the crash, but also warned of Russian “information operations against Ukraine aimed at destabilizing Ukrainian society.” Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.