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A Russian military transport plane that crashed Wednesday was actually shot down by Ukraine, and it was carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners meant for a prisoner swap program, Russia's Ministry of Defense said.
While Ukraine didn't comment on the cause of the crash, President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of "messing with the lives of Ukrainian captives, the feelings of their relatives, and the emotions of our society."
In a post on Telegram, Russia announced the plane crash and said its forces had detected the launch of two missiles toward it from the Kharkiv region of Ukraine.
"There were six crew members, 65 Ukrainian POWs on board the aircraft, which transported them for prisoner exchange, and three Russian servicemen, who accompanied the POWs," according to the announcement. "As a result, the crew and all passengers were killed."
In his address to the nation, however, Zelenksy said "all clear facts must be established. To the extent possible, given that the aircraft crashed on Russian territory – beyond our control. 'Facts' is the key word now."
