At least four Russian crew members were killed after a cargo plane making its way to the front in Ukraine caught fire. The plane tried to make an emergency landing shortly after refueling, but then began to go up in flames in the sky as it flew over the Russian city of Ryazan. Four of the nine staff members were killed, the others hospitalized in critical condition at the hospital
An Ilyushin-Il Russian aircraft attempted to make an emergency landing in the Russian city of Ryazan shortly after refueling in the city, but the plane went up in flames while in the air. In dramatic documentation, the military transport plane is seen burning as it falls behind blocks of residential towers and crashes. Four of the nine staff members were killed, five more are hospitalized in critical condition.
The plane was on its way from Orenburg to Belgorod – close to the war zone – when it crashed. Various reports indicate that the plane suffered an engine failure following the refueling, but an investigation is still underway.
Belgorod is the capital of a Russian region of the same name bordering Ukraine. The three who died at the scene of the crash are Vladimir Petroshin, Nikolai Gorbonov and Dmitry Andreev. Another staff member died at the hospital.
Massive Russian cargo plane CRASHES as it explodes into a huge fireball https://t.co/1zt7CktLjy pic.twitter.com/cG4oWaI8cR
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) June 24, 2022
Such Ilyushin planes have been used in recent months to transport military equipment to the war zone. Ryazan is located about 175 kilometers southeast of Moscow and not close to the war zone. The city is a major base for Russian paratroopers, who suffered significant losses in the war in Ukraine. The site of the crash site was near shops and residential buildings, but it turned out there were no casualties on the ground.