Russia accuses Ukraine of shooting down a military transport plane, killing 65 Ukrainian POWs aboard

UNDATED (AP)- Russia’s Defense Ministry accused Ukrainian forces of shooting down a military transport plane, killing all 74 people aboard, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war being swapped. It said the POWs were being transported to Russia’s Belgorod region. Ukrainian officials did not comment on the crash and The Associated Press could not confirm who was aboard. Officials in Kyiv cautioned against sharing unverified information. In addition to the 65 POWs, the Il-76 transport carried a crew of six and three other passengers, the ministry said. According to the statement, Russian radar registered the launch of two Ukrainian missiles from Ukraine’s Kharkiv region that borders Belgorod. The ministry called the attack “a terrorist act.”