The IL-76 that crashed in Belgorod was carrying missiles for the S-300 air defense system, the official Ukrainian intelligence service reports citing a source in the Ukrainian armed forces.
That claim contradicts Russian claims that 65 Ukrainian servicemen were on board, ahead of a prisoner exchange, first reported by Russian news agencies and then repeated by the head of the Russian parliament's defense committee, Andrey Kartapolov.
Kartapolov said there was a second military plane, also an IL-76, carrying 80 additional prisoners of war, which was diverted.
Kartapolov also said that “Ukrainian leaders were well aware of the impending exchange and were informed of how the prisoners would be handed over. But the IL-76 aircraft was shot down by three missiles, either with anti-aircraft missile systems or Patriot, or with German-made IRIS.”
CNN cannot verify these claims. We have reached out to multiple sources in the Ukrainian government about Russia's accusations that Ukraine was responsible for the downing of the plane, but have not yet received any comment.
