A Russian military plane carrying 74 individuals has crashed in the Belgorod border region, as confirmed by Russian media reports. Conflicting narratives emerge regarding the cargo of the IL-76 aircraft. Russian sources claim it carried 65 Ukrainian servicemen for a prisoner swap, while Ukrainian accounts allege it transported missiles for the S-300 air defense system. The IL-76 cargo plane had six crew members and three additional personnel on board, with a second IL-76 reportedly carrying 80 prisoners of war being diverted.
Andrey Kartapolov, from the Russian Parliament’s defense committee, asserted that the Ukrainian leadership was aware of the impending exchange, but the IL-76 plane was allegedly shot down by three missiles.
The crash occurred approximately five to six kilometers away from the village of Yablonovo in the Korocha District of the Belgorod Region, with no reported damage to the village itself. The Kremlin refrained from commenting on the incident, stating that they are dealing with the new information.
Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov mentioned an ongoing investigation at the scene, emphasizing that the incident transpired in the Korochansky district of the Belgorod region.
The Ilyushin Il-76, a Soviet-era military transport aircraft in service since 1975, has a payload exceeding 50 tons, according to Eurocontrol.
This event comes in the context of Russia’s war in Ukraine entering its third year, marked by minimal battlefield progress. The crash raises questions amid the volatile geopolitical landscape.
