The Russian defence ministry says a military plane has crashed in Belgorod, near the Ukrainian border.
“On board were 65 captured Ukrainian army servicemen being transported for exchange, six crew members and three escorts,” the ministry says.
The local governor says there are no survivors – the BBC cannot yet verify who was on board, or what caused the plane to crash.
A spokesperson for Ukrainian military intelligence did say a prisoner exchange had been planned for today.
Verified video shows a plane going down near the village of Yablonovo, 70km (44 miles) to the north-east of Belgorod.
Russia’s foreign ministry accuses Ukraine of shooting down the plane – but provides no evidence
The plane was flying from the Chkalovsky air base near Moscow to Belgorod, Russia says__Courtesy bbc.com
