A Russian IL-76, a heavy lift military transport aircraft crashed with 65 Ukrainian Prisoners of Wars (POWs) in the Belgorod region of Russia, which borders the region. 

A video of the crash showed the aircraft rapidly losing altitude and heading straight toward the ground, the IL-76 is out of pilot’s control and crashes near a residential area. The aircraft crashed on its right wing and was up in flames.

“At around 11 am Moscow time (0800 GMT), an IL-76 aircraft crashed in the Belgorod region during a routine flight,” AFP reported quoting Moscow’s defence ministry as saying.

“On board were 65 captured Ukrainian army servicemen being transported to the Belgorod region for exchange, six crew members and three escorts,” it said.

Meanwhile, Russia has claimed that the plane was carrying POWs but AFP, quoting local media in Ukraine, reported that its defencce forces downed the aircraft as it was carrying missiles and POWs.