Russian warplane carrying mystery cargo explodes into flames on runway

21 October 2023 , 14:52

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Russian warplane carrying mystery cargo explodes into flames on runway

This is the dramatic moment a Russian military warplane exploded in a colossal ball of fire as it tried to take off from a remote airbase - with a mystery cargo.

The II-76 was ready to take off on the runway when it erupted into vicious flames and rolled off the runway as the fire spread, according to reports. The crew and passengers were forced to evacuate before the entire military plane was engulfed in the raging inferno.

The incident occurred at the Ayni airbase near Dushanbe, the capital of the once-Soviet republic of Tajikistan. The airbase is known as the Gissar airbase and occasionally Russian defence ministry planes can be found there.

Allegedly there were eight people on board transporting a mystery military cargo when the plane erupted. The plane is believed to have been an RF-86900, which has been used in the past year and a half to supply Putin’s war against Ukraine, via Belarus. The plane’s registration number was initially not disclosed according to reports through a Telegram channel.

The plane burst into a huge inferno (social media/e2w)

No details or specifics have been disclosed regarding what the mystery cargo of the plane was - and this is for “wartime political reason” according to a comment from one source. Another anonymous eyewitness said the engine ignited during the blaze which contributed to the severity of the fire.

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The plane might have belonged to Putin’s Pskov airborne troops, a supposed elite troop. They have, however, reportedly lost five II-76s in strikes by the Ukrainian army. “If it’s Pskov regiment then it’s a real disaster - we have lost five already,” the anonymous eyewitness said.

Russia has reportedly lost five II-76 military planes so far (Vyacheslav Lukin)

Russia and the UK were today embroiled in a minor dispute regarding a British military plane which Russia says was trying to enter its airspace - something the RAF vehemently deny. A dramatic video shows the moment the Russian fighter jets ‘intercepted’ the British planes and caused it to do a u-turn. The Russian Defence Ministry said they scrambled two jets in order to “prevent violation of the state border of the Russian Federation”.

Last month, Russian fighter jets fired two missiles at a British spy plane - which they blamed on a “technical malfunction”. Ben Wallace said the RAF Rivet Joint was on a routine patrol of international airspace when it was chased by two Russian Su-27 jets, and added that Britain suspended patrols temporarily to avoid “potentially dangerous engagement”.

Will Stewart