Russian Plane Crashes, Reportedly Killing 65 Ukrainian POWs

Russia’s Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of shooting down an Ilyushin-76 military transport plane carrying 74 people, including 65 Ukrainian war prisoners; all inside died, Russia said. 

The Details: A widely-cited video posted to Telegram appeared to show the crash, which quickly spurred conflicting reports and speculation on who was really in the plane. Russia’s Defense Ministry said the plane was en route to Belgorod, near the Ukrainian border, for a prisoner exchange. Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andriy Yusov appeared to confirm that the plane was carrying prisoners, saying, “the exchange planned for today is not going ahead.” The Ukrainska Pravda news outlet initially reported that the crash was “the work of the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” but later said another source “did not confirm this information” and cited unnamed sources saying the plane was carrying missiles for Russia's S-300 air defense systems. 

For Context: Ukraine and Russia have often accused each other of bombings, sabotages, and other unclaimed attacks during the war, often with the backing of state media. The incident may remind some of the plane crash that killed Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian mercenary leader who briefly marched his troops towards Moscow. 

How the Media Covered It: Coverage was common across the spectrum, often quoting different mixes of sources as the story developed Wednesday morning. Headlines generally highlighted Russia’s statement that the plane was carrying POWs.