UN Council to Discuss Russian Plane Crash Claims

The UN Security Council is set to discuss Russian accusations against Ukraine for allegedly shooting down a Russian transport plane over the Belgorod region on Wednesday. According to Russia’s government, 65 Ukrainian PoWs were on board, and none survived. The Council’s French presidency confirmed the meeting at Russia’s request and scheduled it for Thursday at 5 pm local time in New York City. Ukraine’s intelligence service acknowledged an ongoing prisoner exchange with Russia but lacked credible information about the plane’s passengers. They also stated that Russia had not warned about transporting PoWs or advised caution in the Belgorod airspace. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj canceled a trip in the region and related birthday events, calling for an international investigation into the crash. Russia’s Ministry of Defence reported 74 individuals aboard the crashed plane.