What we know about Russia's crashed military plane | DW News

Summary

Russian military transport plane crashes in Belgorod region near Ukraine border. Conflicting reports on whether it was carrying Ukrainian POWs or missiles. Crash site 50km from border. Speculation Ukraine may have shot it down with Western weapons, which would be escalation. Overall, Ukraine has had success pushing back Russian navy and attacking logistics. If they can now hit transport planes, it will further strain Russian military.

Takeaways

• 😮 Russian military plane carrying Ukrainian POWs crashes in Russia near Ukraine border
• 😲 Video on social media appears to show moment of crash
• 🤔 Russia claims 70+ people were onboard including 65 Ukrainian POWs
• 😕 Kiev sources deny or don't confirm POWs claim, say missiles were onboard
• 🤨 Crash happened ~50km from Ukraine border
• 😠 Some Russian sources claim Western weapons shot down the plane
• 🤔 Crash raises questions about impact on war if Ukraine did strike in Russia
• 😕 Progress on land has been limited recently for both sides
• 👍 Ukraine has had success pushing back Russia at sea
• 🤔 If Ukraine can now strike transport planes, could impact Russia's logistics

Q & A

What type of plane crashed in Russia near the Ukraine border?

A Russian military transport plane crashed in the Belgorod region near the border with Ukraine.

What did Russian media report about the number of people on board the crashed plane?

Russian media quoted the Ministry of Defense saying that more than 70 people were on board the plane, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war.

What are the conflicting reports about what was on board the crashed plane?

Russia claims the plane was carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war, but sources in Ukraine suggest the plane was carrying missiles, possibly s-300 missiles used to attack Kharkiv.

Where did the plane crash occur in relation to the Ukraine border?

The crash site was about 50 km from the Ukrainian border, according to reports.

How are some Russian officials explaining what downed the plane?

Some Russian officials claim Western weapons like Iris or Patriot systems were used to shoot down the plane.

Would use of Western weapons to down the plane signify a change?

Yes, since Western countries have prohibited use of provided weapons outside of Ukraine against Russia.

How could this incident impact the war if Ukraine downed the plane?

It could make Russia's military logistics more difficult and help Ukraine defend against missile attacks on its cities.

Where else has Ukraine recently pushed back against Russia militarily?

At sea, by pushing Russian ships away from Odessa and hindering missile ships in the Black Sea.

What recent Ukrainian military successes could be enabling a strike into Russia?

Knocking out a Russian radar plane recently could be enabling Ukraine to now target transport planes inside Russia.

What impact could Ukraine striking into Russia have on the war?

It could hamper Russia's ability to resupply its forces and make it easier for Ukraine to defend against missile attacks.

Outlines

00:00

✈️ Russian Military Plane Crash Near Ukraine Border

A Russian military transport plane crashed in the Belgorod region, close to the Ukraine border. Over 70 individuals, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, were reported onboard. The incident was captured on social media, though not independently verified. Russian sources suggest the plane carried Ukrainian POWs for a potential exchange. Contradictorily, Ukrainian sources speculate the transport of S300 missiles by the plane, hinting at a direct attack possibly involving Western-supplied defense systems like Iris or Patriot missiles. This speculation raises questions about the use of Western weapons on Russian soil, against the stipulation that they be used only within Ukraine. The crash's proximity to Ukraine and heavy social media documentation adds layers of complexity, stirring speculations on its implications for military logistics and the broader conflict dynamics, particularly in terms of air and sea military engagements.

Keywords

💡Russian military transport plane

A large aircraft operated by the Russian military that crashed in southern Russia near the Ukrainian border. This plane was reportedly carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war that were going to be exchanged. The cause of the crash is under speculation, with claims that Ukrainian missiles brought it down.

💡Ukrainian prisoners of war

Ukrainian soldiers that had been captured by Russian forces in the ongoing conflict between the countries. According to initial Russian claims, there were 65 Ukrainian POWs on the crashed plane that were going to be exchanged for Russian prisoners held by Ukraine.

💡missile

Weapons that are launched from one location to strike a target in another location. There is speculation that the crashed Russian plane was carrying missiles, possibly to attack Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkiv. There are also claims that Ukrainian missiles were used to shoot down the Russian plane.

💡s300 missiles

A type of long-range surface-to-air missile system routinely used by Russia to carry out strikes against Ukrainian targets. Sources claim the crashed Russian plane was carrying s300 missiles, likely to be used in future attacks.

💡Western weapons

Weapons provided to Ukraine by Western countries like the US and members of NATO to aid in its defense against Russia. There are claims that Western anti-aircraft weapons like Iris or Patriot systems were potentially used by Ukraine to shoot down the Russian plane.

💡Black Sea

A strategic body of water bordered by Ukraine and Russia that has seen naval clashes between the countries. Ukraine has started pushing back against Russia's navy in the Black Sea, making it harder for Russia to use ships and missiles to attack Ukrainian coastline cities.

💡sea drones

Unmanned marine vehicles used by Ukraine to attack Russian ships and infrastructure in Crimea and the Black Sea. Ukraine's use of sea drones and other unmanned weapons have made it riskier for Russian navy to operate in the region.

💡logistics

The operations, infrastructure and planning required by militaries to transport personnel, equipment and supplies necessary for war efforts. If Ukraine did shoot down the Russian plane, it could hamper Russia's logistics for moving weapons and troops needed to sustain attacks.

💡counteroffensive

Military campaigns to reclaim territory or strategic positions lost to an adversary. The video mentions that Ukraine's much anticipated counteroffensive campaign to retake land captured by Russia has so far not yielded expected results.

💡missile attacks

Bombardments carried out using missiles launched from air, land or sea against opponent's territories. The video discusses intensified Russian missile attacks against Ukrainian cities seen in recent months, which Ukraine aims to dampen by disrupting Russian military logistics.

Highlights

The video is abnormal, and we are working hard to fix it.
Please replace the link and try again.

Transcripts

we begin with some breaking news and a

Russian military transport plane has

crashed in the belgorod region in the

south of the country close to the border

with Ukraine a video which was posted on

social media appears to show the moment

of the incident Russian media quotes the

ministry of Defense saying that more

than 70 people were on board including

65 Ukrainian prisoners of war and there

is that video again the video coming in

on telegram um we obviously cannot

independ ly verify it but we are showing

it to you here on DW news and we will

have the very latest on this incident as

it becomes

available let's get more from DW

correspondent Nick Connelly who is live

for us in Kiev so what is the latest

Nick so as you mentioned there the

Russian side claiming that these were

Ukrainian prisons of War on board This

Plane who are going to be exchanged for

Russian prisoners held by Ukraine that's

something that sources here in in Kev

have denied or at least not commented on

instead suggesting that there were

missiles on board this military

transport plane missiles of the s300

type that are routinely used by Russia

to attack khv Ukraine's second biggest

city which is very close to where this

plane came down um the crash site seems

to have been about 50 km direct Airline

from the Ukrainian border and we've had

sources in Russia uh people in

Parliament even claiming that these were

Western weapons either Iris or Patriot

systems used to uh knock down that plane

if that were to be true that would be an

interesting development because

obviously so far Western countries when

handing over weapons to Ukraine have

always made the Proviso that they can

only be used on Ukrainian territory um

not on Russia against Russia on Russian

territory but again this is a very early

uh phase of this uh kind of news cycle

lots of very contradictory sources uh

coming out right now so basically uh all

we know at the moment that it seems like

this plane has come down and it happened

pretty close to town so there's a lot of

imagery a lot of pictures out on social

media yeah and of course you know so

many so many questions being raised and

a lot of speculation as you as you've

highlighted there um if it is indeed the

case that Ukrainian strike on this plane

is what it brought it down over Russian

territory can you just give us a sense

of how that might change the game in

this

War I think it's really important to

focus yeah at the situation in the air

but also at Sea in the past few months

we haven't seen much in the way of

movement on land the Ukrainian counter

offensive didn't bring the results that

we hoped for here in Kev similarly

Russia's attacks uh in the East have

barely made progress but we really have

seen though uh Ukraine being able to

push Russia's ships away from Odessa and

the Black Sea Coast we've seen much less

in the way of activity from missile

ships you know out in the Black Sea that

were attacking cities like Odessa and

the rest of the country because of those

Ukrainian

sea drones um and other kind of

unmanned technique Tech used to attack

Crimea and Russia's infrastructure there

and if it is possible now that after

knocking out that Russian uh radar plane

that we had a couple of weeks ago that

they're now attacking these kinds of

Transport planes that makes Russia's

military logistics a lot harder and

could actually have an impact make it

easier for Ukraine to defend its cities

from these missile attacks that we've

been seeing uh in the recent months and

that have been pretty intense especially

uh since the beginning of this year mck

Conelly and ke thank

you