By Diyar Guldogan
WASHINGTON (AA) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday that Moscow has asked for an emergency UN Security Council meeting concerning a Russian plane crash.
"We have asked for an urgent session of the UN Security Council at 3 pm New York time. We very much hope that the French presidency will conscientiously fulfill its duties and schedule such a meeting as soon as possible," Lavrov said at a news conference at UN headquarters in New York.
He said the downing of the plane was a Ukrainian "criminal act," adding: "We're trying to find out the facts right now."
His remarks came after the military plane, en route to Ukraine for a prisoner exchange, was shot down by that country’s armed forces in the region of Belgorod. The crash killed all 65 Ukrainian servicemen onboard, as well as six crew members and three escorts.
The Russian Defense Ministry called the crash "a terrorist attack" organized to accuse Russia of killing Ukrainian servicemen and claimed Ukrainian authorities were "well aware of the planned transportation" with the purpose of further exchange.
Ukraine's Defense Intelligence said the report could be a “planned and deliberate” action by Moscow to “destabilize” the situation in Ukraine. It said it currently does not have “reliable and comprehensive information” about who and how many people were onboard.