(CMR) A Russian military plane with 74 people on board crashed in the Belgorod region of Russia, near the Ukrainian border, killing all on board, Russian state media reported.
According to CNN, the cause of the crash is not yet clear and there are conflicting accounts about who or what was on board. Russian state media reported that 65 Ukrainian servicemen were on the plane, being flown to Belgorod ahead of a prisoner swap.
However, Ukraine's military said the plane was carrying air defense missiles. Russia said the plane was shot down by Ukraine; however, this has not been confirmed.
Belgorod has reportedly come under frequent attacks from Ukraine in recent weeks. At the end of December last year, strikes killed at least 25 people in one of the deadliest single incidents for Russian civilians of the war.
Ukraine says a prisoner-of-war exchange with Russia had been due to take place today (Wednesday).
“It is not happening at the moment,” Andriy Yusov, from Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, told CNN.
Prisoner exchanges have taken place throughout the war, with the largest prisoner swap yet taking place in early January. More than 200 prisoners from each side were returned to their countries in February 2022.
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