EBN- A Russian military plane with 74 people on board crashed in the Belgorod region of Russia, near the Ukrainian border, Russian state media reported.
The region’s governor said all those on board died in the crush.
The cause of the crash is not yet clear and there are conflicting accounts about who or what was on board.
Ukraine did not immediately comment on the incident.
The Ukrainskaya Pravda newspaper, citing sources, initially said Kyiv’s armed forces had shot down the plane but later withdrew the report.
The Guardian could not immediately verify details of who was onboard.
Footage circulating on social media appeared to show the moment a large aircraft crashed and exploded in a vast fireball. Other images showed wreckage scattered over a snowy field.
The Soviet-designed Ilyushin Il-76 is a military transport aircraft designed to airlift troops, cargo, military equipment and weapons.
Kartapalov claimed Russia and Ukraine were to exchange 192 prisoners each on Wednesday before the plane crash.
The Ukrainian state body responsible for prisoner exchanges did not confirm the incident, but urged caution over “enemy propaganda resources about the crash”.
