MOSCOW: The Russian Ministry of Defense has confirmed that a military transport aircraft crashed during a routine test flight following maintenance work on Tuesday.
According to the state news agency TASS, seven personnel were onboard at the time of the crash, but their current condition is not yet known.
The Defense Ministry explained that the incident involved a Russian AN-22 military cargo plane, which went down in the Ivangovo area after completing a maintenance flight. The plane reportedly came down in a sparsely populated zone.
Located roughly 200 kilometers east of Moscow, the Ivangovo region is where the crash occurred. Authorities have deployed search and rescue teams to the scene, and an investigation into the cause of the accident has been initiated.
Officials have stated that there is no evidence linking the crash to Russia’s military activities in Ukraine or any possible involvement by Kyiv.
