A Russian military plane IL-76 caught fire in the air and crashed

The plane caught fire over Ivanovo, Ivanovo News and Kstati News reported on Tuesday afternoon. Local residents posted footage of the plane with its engine on fire, the BBC has not yet verified the video.

VIDEO: A military plane IL-76 crashed in the Ivanovo region of Russia

Telegram/A military plane IL-76 crashed in the Ivanovo region of Russia

The Ministry of Defense confirmed the information about the accident. “March 12 around 1:00 p.m. A military transport aircraft Il-76 crashed in the Ivanovo region, Moscow time, during a scheduled flight,” the report said.

The report said the crash was caused by “a fire in one of the engines”, adding that the Ministry of Defense had dispatched a military commission to the air base in Ivanovo.

During the more than two-year war in Ukraine, Russia has greatly increased the transportation of military forces and military equipment through its territory by air and land.

VIDEO: A Russian military plane crashed before reaching the airfield

Telegram/A military plane IL-76 crashed in the Ivanovo region of Russia

According to the ministry, there were eight crew members and seven passengers on the crashed plane. “According to the report from the scene, the cause of the accident is that one of the engines caught fire during takeoff,” the statement said.

VIDEO: Russian Il-76 military plane on fire in the air was filmed

However, according to witnesses, one of the plane’s engines caught fire in the air. The video shows that the plane’s engine is indeed on fire.

Initially, local Telegram channels reported that a plume of smoke was visible in the area of ​​the Ivanovo-Severn airfield.

The plane crashed near Ivanovo-Severn airport. The plane fell near the village of Bogorodsk, now rescuers are working at the scene, the Telegram channel “Ostorozhno, novosti” wrote.

The IL-76 plane that crashed in the Ivanovo region was conducting a training flight, the Baza channel reported.

The plane may have been carrying top officials of the aviation warning and control system

Top Russian military aviation specialists may have been on board the IL-76 plane that crashed in Russia’s Ivanovo region.

According to a source informed by the VČK-OGPU of the Telegram channel, the Severn Airport in the Ivanovo region, near which the plane crashed, is one of the bases for the deployment of aircraft of the aviation warning and control system, specifically the A-50.

“According to VČK-OGPU sources, the passengers of the Il-76 plane shot down today in the Ivanovo region may have been operators – officers of the aviation warning and control system,” the report said. The fact that the plane may have been shot down has not yet been confirmed by other sources.

Another Il-76 crashed a month and a half ago

January 24 another Il-76 crashed near Belgorod. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the aircraft was allegedly shot down by two Ukrainian missiles from an anti-aircraft missile system located in the Kharkiv region.

Russian authorities said the crash killed 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war who were due for exchange, as well as six crew members and three escorts.

The Ukrainian side did not confirm the fact of the death of prisoners of war. Russian authorities claimed that the plane was shot down by the Patriot system, which was confirmed by foreign media sources who wrote that the Il-76 with the captives was attacked by mistake. Kyiv has not officially claimed responsibility for the attack on the plane.

The Il-76 military transport plane is designed to land, transport personnel, cargo and military equipment.

February 23 The Ukrainian military and Russian pro-military bloggers have reported that a Russian A-50 radar plane was shot down over the Krasnodar Territory. According to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the same radar and control aircraft in flight was shot down in January. The Russian Ministry of Defense did not comment on these losses.