MOSCOW: The Kremlin said on Thursday that nobody could say at this stage how what it says was the Ukrainian shooting down of a Russian plane carrying 65 captured Ukrainian soldiers to a prisoner exchange would affect future such prisoner swaps.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted by the Interfax news agency, said the downing of the plane was a “monstrous act” and that discussions about prisoner swaps had to remain confidential.

“Nobody can tell you how it would affect the prospects for extending this (exchange) process,” Interfax cited Peskov as saying.

Russia accuses Ukraine of killing 65 of its own POWs by shooting down plane

Ukraine has not confirmed that it shot down the Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane, which was downed near the Russian city of Belgorod near the Ukrainian border on Wednesday, and has challenged key parts of Moscow’s narrative.

Nor has it confirmed that Ukrainian prisoners were on board.