Russian military plane crashes in region bordering Ukraine killing 74, according to Kremlin

A Russian military plane has crashed in a region bordering Ukraine killing 74 people.

The Ilyushin-76 military transport plane crashed in the southern Belgorod region at around 11am local time (8am UK time)on Wednesday morning (January 24). According to Russian news agency Ria Novostim nine people were on board at the time of the crash, six of whom were crew and the other three being escorts.

Also on board were 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war which Russia's defence ministry told Ria Novostim were "being transported to the Belgorod region for exchange". The ministry has blamed Ukraine for shooting down the plane.

Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the lower house of parliament in Russia, said in parliament: "They shot their own soldiers in the air. Their own. Our pilots, who were carrying out a humanitarian mission, were shot down."

The claims made by the Kremlin have not been verified, nor have the details surrounding the crash. Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Vladimir Putin, confirmed that the Kremlin was investigating the crash but did not divulge any further information.

Andrei Kartapolov, the chairman of Russia's parliamentary defence committee, has already told a Russian TV station that the incident may sour any future prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine. He said: "There can now be no talk of any other [prisoner] exchanges."