MOSCOW, January 24. /TASS/. A number of Ukrainian media outlets have deleted their earlier reports that the crash of a Russian Il-76 military airplane in the Belgorod Region was "the work of the Ukrainian armed forces."

On Wednesday, Ukrayinska Pravda quoted some sources in the Ukrainian Defense Ministry as saying that the plane had been shot down by the Ukrainian military. As noted, the General Staff told the newspaper that the plane was allegedly carrying missiles for Russia’s S-300 surface-to-air missile systems. However, after the Russian Defense Ministry said that 65 captured Ukrainian servicemen who were being transported to the Belgorod Region for a prisoner exchange were on board the downed Il-76, Ukrayinska Pravda deleted its initial report that the Ukrainian armed forces were involved in triggering the crash.

Likewise, news agency RBC Ukraine edited its earlier report on the crash of the Il-76 by deleting a previous reference to "the work of the Ukrainian armed forces." Meanwhile, the agency continues to claim that the plane was carrying missiles.

However, Andrey Yusov, spokesman for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), has already acknowledged that a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia had been planned for today, but then clarified that the exchange "is not happening anymore."

In turn, the UNIAN news agency has thus far kept a link to the initial report by Ukrayinska Pravda on its Telegram channel.

On January 24, the Ukrainian armed forces 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.