A Russian plane carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war crashed in Russia’s western Belgorod region, Russia’s RIA Novosti state news agency reported Wednesday, citing the Ministry of Defense. Six crew members and three people accompanying the POWs were also on board, RIA reported.
It was not immediately clear what caused the plane to crash or whether there were any survivors. In a morning briefing, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said he did not have enough information to comment. Ukrainian officials also did not immediately comment, The Associated Press reported.
Obtained by Reuters
RIA, citing Russia’s Ministry of Defense, said the Ukrainian POWs were being transported to the border region for a prisoner swap. The ministry said a special military commission was on its way to the site of the crash.
There have been a number of Russian military plane crashes recently, which some say is due to an increased number of flights amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, according to the AP.
This is a developing story. Please refresh your browser for updates.
Omar Zaghloul/Anadolu/Getty
Thanks for reading CBS NEWS.
Create your free account or log in
for more features.
