MOSCOW, January 31. /TASS/. An investigation continues into the crash of an Il-76 plane in the Belgorod Region, which was downed by a Ukrainian missile, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"I can confirm that the investigation continues," Peskov said at a briefing, adding that he was unable to say at what stage the investigation currently was.

The Il-76 military cargo aircraft was downed over Russia's borderline Belgorod Region on January 24. The aircraft was carrying captive Ukrainian military personnel who had been slated to be exchanged in a prisoner swap. The crash killed all 74 people on board, including 65 Ukrainian POWs. The Russian Defense Ministry described the incident as a terrorist attack, pointing out that Kiev had been aware of the mission to transport Ukrainian POWs for a prisoner swap. According to preliminary data, missiles were fired at the plane from the Kharkov Region.