A tragic incident unfolded on Wednesday, January 24, as a Russian military aircraft with 74 passengers on board crashed near Belgorod. The crash unfolded under unknown circumstances, prompting an immediate response from emergency services. A video shared by BNO News on its official X, formerly Twitter, vividly captures the tragic moment as the jet plummets, crashes, and erupts into flames.
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The Russian government says the plane which crashed near Belgorod was carrying 74 people, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners. The details surrounding the crash, including the cause and potential survivors, remain officially unconfirmed at this time. Russian military and emergency response teams are actively engaged in rescue and recovery efforts at the crash site.
According to the media reports, the crashed jet was Russia's Tu-22M3 aircraft, said details disclosed by Ukrainian Defense Intelligence. The Ukrainian Defence also disclosed the name of the intelligence officer who participated in the operation. The operation involved drone-copters attacking the Soltsy military airfield in the Novgorod region on August 19, 2023.
Ukrainian intelligence successfully destroyed one Tu-22M3 and damaged two others during the attack. The intelligence officers responsible for the operation covered over 600 kilometres on foot through enemy territory to destroy the Russian bombers.