Investigators find flight recorders present inside Russian plane crash: Report

The investigators, who were carrying out a search operation at the site where a Russian military transport plane crashed, have found the flight recorders of the plane, as per media reports.

The flight recorders were found a day after Moscow held Kyiv guilty of shooting down the aircraft which was carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky calling for an international investigation.

The Il-76 was shot down from the sky and turned into a fireball, after crashing in a rural area of Russia on Wednesday, in which 74 people were killed on board, said Russian authorities.

Kyiv was accused by Russian officials of shooting down the plane using two missiles. Russia hadclaimed that 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war were present in the plane and were being taken for a prisoner swap.

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Ukraine confirms due prisoner exchange

Ukrainian authorities accepted that a prisoner exchange was set to take place on Wednesday (Jan 24) and added that it was cancelled, but argued that they had no information regarding who was present on the plane.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Thursday (Jan 25) reiteratedthat the plane was downed by Ukrainian officials, calling it “a totally monstrous act.”

Soon after the incident, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for an international investigation.

“It is necessary to establish all the facts, as much as possible, considering that the plane crash occurred on Russian territory — beyond our control,” Zelensky said, in his video address.

Watch:Russian military plane crash: Ukrainian President Zelensky calls for an international probe

“It’s obvious Russians are playing with the lives of Ukrainian POWs, with the feelings of their relatives and the emotions of our society,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's military intelligence (GUR) claimed that they had not been asked to ensure safe airspace, as on earlier occasions.

The GUR further emphasised that did not have any reliable information about who was present on board and added the incident may have been a result of "planned and deliberate actions by Russia".

An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council was called by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov which is likely to take place on Thursday afternoon in New York.

The discovery of flight recorders present inside the plane which crashed was reported by the state-owned RIA Novosti news agency, as it cited emergency services.

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

(With inputs from agencies)