Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for an international investigation into the downed Russian plane, which Moscow alleges was carrying Ukrainian prisoners for an exchange.
“Russians are clearly playing with the lives of Ukrainian prisoners, their families’ feelings, and the emotions of our society,” Zelensky stated in his daily address, without confirming or denying the nationality of the casualties.
A Russian Il-76 military transport plane, reportedly carrying 65 Ukrainian war prisoners, crashed on Wednesday in the Belgorod region near the Ukrainian border, according to Russian Ministry of Defence and news agencies.
“At 11:00 Moscow time (09:00 in Belgium), an Il-76 plane crashed in the Belgorod region. On board were 65 captured Ukrainian soldiers being transported to the Belgorod region for an exchange, six crew members and three accompanying personnel,” the Ministry had indicated earlier.
