Dozens Killed in Fiery Russian Military Plane Crash

A Russian military transport plane crashed in the border region of Belgorod on Wednesday, killing dozens of people on board, according to multiple reports.

Footage purportedly shot by a bystander showed the IL-76 already engulfed in flames as it plunged towards the ground, sending a huge fireball up into the sky as it struck. Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed the crash, claiming 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war had been on board and on their way to a prisoner exchange. Moscow said 6 crew members had also been on the plane, along with three people accompanying them for the flight, according to Russia’s RIA Novosti.

Anonymous sources within the Ukrainian military, however, were quoted by Ukrainska Pravda saying the plane had been transporting missiles used by Russian forces to target the Kharkiv region.

Read more at The Daily Beast.