Ukraine and Russia trade accusations over fatal plane crash that Moscow says involved Ukrainian POWs

By The Associated Press

Russia and Ukraine are trading accusations over the crash of a military transport plane that Moscow said was carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war and was shot down by Kyiv’s forces. It was another heated episode in the information war that has been a feature of the conflict. Though investigators reportedly found the flight recorders a day after Wednesday’s crash, there was little hope that the circumstances would be clarified in a war where both sides have often used accusations in a bid to sway opinion at home and abroad. The Il-76 crashed in a huge ball of fire in a rural area of Russia, and authorities there said all 74 people on board, including 65 POWs, six crew and three Russian servicemen, were killed.