Moscow:

Russian President Vladimir Putin said a Russian military plane that crashed near the Ukrainian border on Wednesday was shot down by Ukrainian air defense forces, whether intentionally or accidentally.

Moscow has accused Kiev of downing the Ilyushin Il-76 plane over Russia’s Belgorod region and killing 74 people on board, including 65 captured Ukrainian soldiers who were due to be exchanged for Russian prisoners of war. Proof of this has not been presented.

Ukraine has not confirmed or denied whether it shot down the plane and has challenged Moscow’s version of who was on board and what happened.

“I don’t know whether they did it intentionally or by accident, but it’s clear that they did it,” Putin said in his first televised comments on the accident.

“In any case, what happened is a crime. Either recklessly or intentionally, but in any case it is a crime.”

Ukraine has denied Russia’s claim that it had been warned in advance that a plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war would fly over Russia’s southwestern Belgorod region at that time. It also said there were discrepancies in the list published by Russian media of the 65 Ukrainians reportedly on board the plane.

Putin said the plane could not have been shot down by Russian “friendly fire” because Russia’s air defense systems have safeguards to prevent them from attacking its aircraft.

“There are ‘friend or foe’ systems out there, and no matter how many buttons the operator presses, our air defense system will not work,” he said.

Putin said the missiles fired were mostly American or French, but this would be established with certainty in two to three days.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)