MOSCOW, Jan. 31 (TASS) - Russia will not stop prisoner exchanges with Ukraine over the downed Ilyushin-76, Russian presidential candidate Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with his authorized agents.

"Will it stop the exchanges or not? We will not stop the exchanges. We have to bring our own guys back home," he said.

An Ilyushin-76 military transport plane was shot down from Ukrainian territory by a US Patriot system on January 24. There were 74 people on board, 65 of whom were Ukrainian prisoners of war heading for an exchange. There were no survivors. The Russian Defense Ministry called the incident a terrorist attack. An investigation is in progress.

Russia continues to exchange prisoners of war with Ukraine. Over the past 24 hours, 195 Russian servicemen were exchanged for 195 Ukrainian servicemen. The UAE brokered the swap, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Photo from TASS