Russian military transport plane crashes in Belgorod

A Russian Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane has crashed in Russia’s Belgorod region, according to the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti citing the Defence Ministry.

The agency also stated that there were 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war on board, along with six crew members and three other passengers.

AP reported that the crash occurred around 11:00 am (08:00 GMT). It is not known if anyone survived.

The authorities were investigating the cause of the crash, and a special military commission was on the way to the crash site, the Defense Ministry said.


Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov says the crash of the military aircraft took place in the Korochansky district, northeast of the regional capital.

“Now an investigation team and emergency services are working on the site. I have changed my working schedule and traveled to the district,” Gladkov said in a post on Telegram.


The speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, accuses Kyiv of shooting down a plane carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war.

“They shot their soldiers in the air. Their own,” Volodin told lawmakers in a plenary session. “Our pilots, who were carrying out a humanitarian mission, were shot down.”

Volodin gave no evidence to back up his accusation, and his claim has not been independently verified.


In response to a reporter’s question, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov says the reports of the military plane crash were new information, adding that authorities would look into them.

What we know so far about the crash

    A Russian military transport plane has crashed in Russia’s Belgorod region near the border with Ukraine.
    The crash occurred about 11 am (08:00 GMT). It is not known if anyone survived.
    The Russian Defence Ministry said there were 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war on board along with six crew members and three other passengers, according to local media reports.
    The speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, accused Ukraine of shooting down the plane.
    There has been no immediate comment by Ukraine so far


The details about this crash remain sketchy, to say the least, and are being disputed between Moscow and Kyiv.

It is said to be an Ilyushin Il-76, a military transport plane that crashed near the city of Belgorod – close to the Ukraine-Russia border.

The Russians say a group of Ukrainian prisoners of war was on board the aircraft.

There’s been no official response yet from the Ukrainian side. Still, many different news websites are quoting their security sources as saying that the plane was carrying either missiles or its parts for the S-300 system, which would suggest that it’s a legitimate target in Ukrainian terms.

We’re still waiting for an official response here from the Ukrainian government.


    The Ilyushin-76 is a military transport aircraft designed by Russia’s Ilyushin Design Bureau.
    The first Ilyushin-76 planes were produced in the early 1970s.
    It usually has a crew of five and can carry up to 90 passengers.
    The aircraft is designed to airlift troops, cargo, military equipment, and weapons.
    The Il-76 is often used as a commercial freighter for ramp-delivered cargo.
    It has also been used for humanitarian aid and disaster relief worldwide.
    The aircraft can take off from an unpaved runway, making it useful in emergency response efforts.



What is the significance of the Belgorod region in the Ukraine-Russia war?

The Belgorod region lies in the southwest of Russia and borders Ukraine.

Its largest city, Belgorod, lies roughly 80km (50 miles) from Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv.

Since the beginning of the war in February 2022, the region has come under a series of attacks by Ukrainian forces. Russia’s armed forces regularly claim to have shot down Ukrainian drones over the region.

Here are some of the major incidents that have occurred in the region.

    In April 2023, a Russian warplane accidentally bombed Belgorod.
    In May 2023, armed groups from Ukraine carried out a cross-border raid into the region.
    On 30 December, a Ukrainian air strike killed more than 20 people, including children.
    In January 2024, Russia partially evacuated Belgorod after Ukrainian air strikes on the city.