Belgorod, Russia – Russia has accused Ukraine of shooting down a Russian military plane near the Ukrainian border, resulting in the deaths of all 74 people on board, including Ukrainian servicemen who were supposed to be part of a prisoner swap. The Ilyushin-76 cargo plane crashed inside Russian airspace, and both the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and its Defense Ministry have declared it an act of terrorism.
The Russian government claims that the Ukrainian Armed Forces used an anti-aircraft missile system to destroy the plane, a statement that Ukraine’s military command has not fully acknowledged. However, Ukraine’s armed forces have pointed to recent attacks on the city of Kharkiv, near the Russian border, as being facilitated by Russian cargo planes bringing weapons close to the border.
Video footage has surfaced showing the moment of the plane’s crash, with a huge fireball and black smoke seen emerging from the impact site. Eyewitnesses near the crash site reported hearing loud, thunderous claps at the time of the crash, followed by an air raid alert in the Russian city.
The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has resulted in the exchange of prisoners of war, with the largest swap taking place earlier in January. The latest plane crash has further intensified tensions between the two countries, prompting calls for an international investigation to determine the cause of the incident.
As the investigation into the crash continues, both Russia and Ukraine have exchanged accusations and counterclaims, with each side attempting to shift the blame onto the other. The tragic incident has once again brought the long-standing conflict between the two countries into the spotlight, with no clear end in sight.