The defense department emphasized that transporting Ukrainian prisoners for exchange by military transport aircraft is already an established practice.
The report also indicates that the prisoner exchange on Wednesday was agreed upon in advance with the Ukrainian leadership.
Earlier it was reported that the exchange of prisoners was to take place at the Kolotilovka checkpoint on the Russian-Ukrainian border.
Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that Ukrainian troops hit a Russian Il-76 military transport aircraft with captured Ukrainian Armed Forces military personnel over the Belgorod region using an anti-aircraft missile system.
On board were six crew members, 65 military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the exchange and three Russian military personnel accompanying them.
They all died.