UNITED NATIONS, January 24. /TASS/. France, which holds the rotating UN Security Council presidency this month, has turned down Russia’s request to hold a UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday to discuss the downing of a Russian military plane by the Ukrainian military, Russian First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyansky said.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia requested an urgent UN Security Council meeting at 3:00 p.m. local time (8:00 p.m. GMT) on Wednesday.

"The French Presidency declined our request for an urgent Council meeting <…> today for 3 p.m.," he wrote on Telegram, adding that "in this endeavor, the French Presidency <…> abuses its presidential functions.".

"In a clear attempt to shield their Kiev regime clients it [the French Presidency of the UN Security Council] agrees to schedule the meeting only for tomorrow [January 25] for 5 p.m. [New York time, 10 p.m. GMT]," the Russian diplomat added. "It’s deplorable that glorious in the old days French diplomacy has shrunk to miserable swindling."

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.