Russian President Vladimir Putin said a Russian military plane that crashed near the border with Ukraine on Wednesday was shot down by Ukrainian air defences, whether on purpose or by mistake.
Moscow accuses Kyiv of downing the Ilyushin Il-76 plane in Russia’s Belgorod region and killing 74 people on board, including 65 captured Ukrainian soldiers en route to be swapped for Russian prisoners of war.
Putin offered no details to support the allegation that Ukraine was to blame, which other Russian officials have also made, beginning in the first hours after the crash.
WATCH l Claims and counterclaims after deadly plane crash: Russia,
