2024 Korochansky Ilyushin Il-76 crash
A Russian Air Force Ilyushin Il-76, similar to the one involved in the accident | |
| Occurrence | |
|---|---|
| Date | 24 January 2024 |
| Summary | Shot down by Ukraine, according to US officials |
| Site | Near Yablonovo, Korochansky District, Belgorod Oblast, Russia 50°53′37″N 37°20′29″E / 50.89361°N 37.34139°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Ilyushin Il-76M |
| Operator | Russian Air Force |
| Registration | RF-86868 |
| Flight origin | Chkalovsky Air Base, Moscow Oblast, Russia |
| Destination | Belgorod International Airport, Belgorod Oblast, Russia (eyewitness testimony) |
| Occupants | 74 |
| Passengers | 68 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 74 |
| Survivors | 0 |
On 24 January 2024, at around 11:15 MSK, a Russian Air Force Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane crashed near the Ukrainian border in Russia's Korochansky district in Belgorod Oblast, killing everyone on board. Russia stated that the plane was shot down by Ukraine while it was carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) captured during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as six crew members and three guards, and that the prisoners of war were to be exchanged in a swap. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces did not directly take responsibility for shooting down the airplane, but stated that it was a legitimate military target and that it was carrying S-300 anti-aircraft missiles for bombing Kharkiv Oblast.
Some French and US officials said that the downing of the aircraft was caused by a Patriot missile fired by the Ukrainian army.