Downed plane hit by missile fired from Ukraine: Russian investigators

MOSCOW: Russia's Investigative Committee, which handles serious crimes, said on Thursday that the Il-76 military transport plane downed in the Belgorod region on Wednesday had been struck by a surface-to-air missile fired from Ukraine.

In a statement posted on the Telegram messenger app, investigators said that its "preliminary" conclusion was that the Il-76 had been hit by an anti-aircraft missile, and that it had opened a criminal investigation into the attack. Russia said on Wednesday that the plane had been carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war who were to be exchanged for Russian captives. Ukraine has not confirmed the presence of the prisoners onboard the plane

Ukraine invites Prez Xi for Peace Summit

Meanwhile, Ukraine has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to participate in a planned "peace summit" of world leaders in Switzerland, a top diplomatic advisor to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, as Russia's invasion approaches its second anniversary.

China has close ties with Russia and has refrained from criticising its invasion of Ukraine but has also said the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected and has offered to help mediate in the conflict.

"We are definitely inviting China to participate in the summit, at the highest level, at the level of the President of the People's Republic of China," the adviser, Ihor Zhovkva, told Reuters in an interview this week.

"China's participation will be very important to us. We are working with the Chinese side. We involve our partners in the world so that they convey to the Chinese side how important it is to participate in such a summit."