An Il-76 Candid heavy cargo jet of Russian Air Spca Forces has crashed in the Korochansky district of Belgorod region, Russia, not far from the Ukrainian border.

The governor of the region confirmed the incident and reported that investigative teams and emergency services were swiftly deployed to the crash site.

According to the Ukrainian military, the aircraft was transporting missiles intended for S-300 complexes. These missile systems have been used in recent shelling activities in the Kharkiv Oblast. Ukrainian officials hinted that the IL-76 might have been brought down by air defense systems.

Russian Telegram channels have also confirmed that the IL-76 was likely shot down. Videos circulating from the scene show what appears to be missile trails in the sky, followed by footage of the burning aircraft as it descended.

⚡️ According to our sources in the Defense Forces, the downing of the Russian Il-76 is the work of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The General Staff also informed us that the plane was transporting missiles to the S-300 complexes, with which the Russians are shelling Kharkiv Oblast pic.twitter.com/2v9ZeeZ1ol

— Ukrainska Pravda in English (@pravda_eng) January 24, 2024

Some Russian media outlets reported that as many as 63 people could have been on board the military transport plane. However, these reports remain unconfirmed, and no official statements verify the number of killed.