$4.5M Russian An-72 Aircraft Destroyed Near Moscow, Ukrainian Intel Reports

A Russian An-72 military transport aircraft operated by the Kremlin’s naval forces exploded near Moscow last week, on Dec. 12, according to Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR).

“On Dec. 12, 2024, at the Ostafyevo airfield in the Moscow region, an explosion occurred — the main power unit of a military transport An-72 aircraft belonging to the naval fleet of the aggressor state, Russia, detonated,” the intelligence report states.

According to HUR, the estimated cost of the disabled Russian aircraft is approximately $4.5 million.

The An-72 is a military transport aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by the Antonov Design Bureau. Its primary purpose is to transport military cargo, equipment, and personnel over short and medium distances, including operations from unprepared airfields.

HUR actively conducts operations to destroy Russian military aircraft, inflicting significant losses on Russia’s aviation fleet.

In September of this year, a special HUR unit destroyed a Russian Su-30SM fighter jet using a man-portable air defense system (MANPADS) in the Black Sea region. The aircraft, worth around $50 million, belonged to the 43rd Separate Naval Aviation Regiment of the Russian Aerospace Forces, stationed in occupied Crimea.

In October, a Tu-134 aircraft burned at the Russian Orenburg-2 military airfield. The plane belonged to Russia’s 117th Military Transport Aviation Regiment and was used to transport senior personnel of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

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HUR continues to conduct operations aimed at weakening Russia’s aviation potential, demonstrating the effectiveness of Ukrainian intelligence and military units.