Russia accuses Kyiv of shooting down plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners for swap

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS; CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - A Russian military plane en route to Ukraine for a prisoner exchange was shot down by Ukrainian armed forces in the region of Belgorod, Moscow claimed on Wednesday.

"There were 65 captured servicemen of the armed forces of Ukraine on board, 6 crew members of the aircraft and 3 escorts. The crew and all passengers of the plane were killed," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry called the incident "a terrorist attack" organized with the goal of accusing Russia of killing Ukrainian servicemen.

"The aircraft was destroyed by the armed forces of Ukraine from the village of Liptsy, Kharkiv region, using an anti-aircraft missile system. Radar facilities of the Russian Aerospace Forces recorded the launch of two Ukrainian missiles," it said.

The ministry emphasized that the Ukrainian authorities were "well aware of the planned transportation" with the purpose of further exchange.

"According to the agreement reached earlier, this event was to take place in the afternoon at the Kolotilovka checkpoint on the Russian-Ukrainian border. ... By committing this terrorist act, the Ukrainian leadership showed its true face – it neglected the lives of its citizens," it stressed.

There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian authorities.