TASS reports this with reference to operational services.
According to a representative of the services, a search is underway for any fragments of the aircraft and metal structures over a large area.
“Elements were found on the ground confirming an external impact on the aircraft,” he said.
According to him, these elements will be sent for examination.
On January 24, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that Ukrainian military personnel 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.
Ukrainian media previously began to massively delete materials that an Il-76 that crashed in the Belgorod region with Ukrainian prisoners of war was shot down by Ukrainian air defense forces.