Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has urgently summoned a meeting concerning the UN Security Council.
"Russia is seeking an emergency session," the minister reports.
Purpose of the Meeting
The meeting aims to discuss the crash of the Russian airplane, which Moscow alleges was transporting captured Ukrainian soldiers for a prisoner exchange.
"Russia has accused Ukraine of deliberately shooting down the military transport plane with captured Ukrainian soldiers," according to reports.
Russia labels the crash a "barbaric act of terror" that killed a total of 74 people.
The death toll remains unconfirmed.
Demand for a Meeting
Lavrov stated in a press conference earlier in the afternoon that Russia insists the Security Council's meeting be held tonight.
During the press conference, the foreign minister labeled the downing of the plane as a "criminal" act by Ukraine.
He also mentioned that Russia seeks an explanation from Ukraine regarding the plane crash.
"The Ukrainian prisoners were being transported to the Belgorod region to carry out another exchange agreed upon between Moscow and Kyiv," said Lavrov.
"Instead, the Ukrainian side launched an anti-aircraft missile from the Kharkov region. It targeted the plane in a lethal attack."
Disagreement
The Ukrainian military intelligence service, in turn, asserts that Kyiv was not asked to guarantee the safety of the airspace on Wednesday around the Belgorod area.
This was typically the case during previous prisoner exchanges with Moscow.
The Ukrainian intelligence service suggests that Russia's accusations of Kyiv shooting down the transport plane might be a deliberate action to destabilize the situation in Ukraine and weaken international support for the state.
According to reports in Ukrainian media, which were later retracted, the plane was not carrying prisoners but missiles.
Meeting Tonight
Lavrov has requested the meeting to be held tonight at 21:00 CET.
Whether the meeting will take place remains uncertain, as does what it is expected to lead to.
