MOSCOW, January 25. /TASS/. Pilots who served with the military transport regiment from the southern Urals region of Orenburg were killed as a result of a Ukrainian attack on a Russian plane above the borderline region of Belgorod, Orenburg Region Governor Denis Pasler wrote on Telegram.

"The Kiev regime committed a yet another terrorist attack, which claimed the lives of our heroes, of pilots who served with the Orenburg Military-Transport Regiment. Russia’s military transport aviation plane was transporting captured Ukrainian servicemen for a swap and was shot down by the armed forces of Ukraine in the skies above the Belgorod Region. All of them died," Pasler said.

He said that the plane’s crew managed to divert the crashing plane from populated areas.

"They acted as true heroes. They proved that human lives have immense value for our military, while our enemies have no concern even about the lives of their own people," the Russian official added.

He extended condolences to the families of the victims.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced on January 24, that the Ukrainian armed forces allegedly shot down a Russian Il-76 military transport plane over the Belgorod Region that was carrying captured Ukrainian troops selected to be included in the exchange. There were 74 people on board, including 65 Ukrainian military personnel, all of whom were killed.

The Russian Defense Ministry called what happened a terrorist act and stressed that Kiev knew about the transportation of prisoners for the exchange, which was to take place at the Kolotilovka checkpoint, and purposely attacked the plane in order to accuse Moscow of destroying Ukrainian military personnel.