Russia says Kyiv shot down a POW aircraft

Russia is accusing Ukraine of shooting down a military plane carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners for a swap

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A Russian military transport plane crashed Wednesday in a border region near Ukraine, and Moscow accused Kyiv of shooting it down, saying all 74 people aboard were killed, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war headed for a swap. Russia offered no evidence and Ukraine did not immediately confirm or deny it.

Video of the crash on social media from the Belgorod border region of Russia showed a plane falling from the sky in a snowy, rural area, and a massive ball of fire erupting where it apparently hit the ground.

In a statement, the Russian defence ministry said the Il-76 transport plane was carrying 65 POWS, a crew of six and three Russian servicemen. It said Russian radar registered the launch of two missiles from Ukraine's Kharkiv region that borders Belgorod.

"We've seen the reports, but we're not in any position to confirm them," US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.

Separately, a US official said it's not clear that there were actually Ukrainian POWs aboard the aircraft that crashed. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details that have not been announced publicly.