65 Ukrainian POWs die in plane crash, Russia says

A Russian plane carrying 74 people, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war who were going to be part of a prisoner exchange, crashed Wednesday near the border of Ukraine, and all on board were killed, Russia's Belgorod regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said. 

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear, and Gladkov did not state who was on the plane.

"All operational services are on-site and investigative measures are being carried out," the governor, whose territory borders Ukraine near Kharkiv, said on his Telegram channel.

A video from Kremlin-controlled news outlet RIA Novosti shows a plane take a nosedive before a massive explosion and cloud of smoke. 

Russian Defense Committee Andrei Kartapolov said the plane crashed after Ukrainian Armed Forces fired three missiles at it, according to the state outlet. A second plane transporting prisoners was able to turn around, he also said.  

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