Ukraine neither confirmed nor denied that it had hit the plane, but said Moscow had created a "deliberate threat to the life and safety" of its Pows by failing to warn Kyiv to make the airspace safe before the swap.
Ukrainian military intelligence said it did not have "reliable and comprehensive" information about who or what was on board the Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft, which was filmed crashing and exploding in a fireball yesterday afternoon.
The Russian ministry of defence quickly accused Ukraine of shooting down the Il-76, and claimed the plane was carrying 65 Ukrainian Pows who were to be swapped, along with six crew and three Russian servicemen. All those onboard were killed, Russia said.
The Guardian could not immediately verify Russian claims of who was onboard and the cause of the crash has not been confirmed.
This story is from the January 25, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the January 25, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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