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Video Shows Russia’s Last An-22 Military Giant Breaking Apart Mid-Air
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Newly surfaced footage shows the catastrophic crash of a Russian An-22 “Antei” military transport aircraft, which broke apart in mid-air before slamming into the ground near the Uvod Reservoir in Russia’s Ivanovo region, according to a new video shared by the OSINT community Supernova+ on December 15.
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The footage captures the moment the massive aircraft rapidly loses altitude and then disintegrates in flight, splitting into two sections before impact.
The crash itself happened on December 9. According to Militarnyi, all seven crew members on board were killed.
SURVIVORS?? Examining the tape from the An-22 CRASH, it is possible at least 2 Russian crew members (load masters) likely attempted to parachute from the plane.
— Chuck Pfarrer | Indications & Warnings | (@ChuckPfarrer) December 14, 2025
Both appear to have suffered malfunctions. On the right, one became totally entangled in his ‘chute… pic.twitter.com/yr7wnHP81S
Russian media report that the aircraft was conducting a routine test flight following repairs. An-22 transports are based at the Ivanovo-Severny military airfield, a key hub for Russia’s military transport aviation.
Sources cited by the Russian newspaper Kommersant, referencing officials within Russia’s Ministry of Defense, said the aircraft had been in service for more than 50 years and was flying after scheduled maintenance work.
✈️Moment of the crash of the Russian military transport aircraft An-22 https://t.co/TnvYdBNXB9 pic.twitter.com/7u5xoRh2wx
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) December 14, 2025
According to those sources, the destroyed aircraft was the last operational An-22 still in service with the Russian military.
The An-22 “Antei” is a Soviet-designed heavy military transport aircraft developed in Kyiv in the 1960s. It first flew on February 27, 1965, with serial production beginning the following year and operational service starting in 1969.
At the time of its introduction, the An-22 was the largest turboprop aircraft in the world.
The aircraft can carry up to 80 tons of cargo and has a maximum takeoff weight of around 250 tons. It is powered by four NK-12MA turboprop engines, each producing roughly 15,000 horsepower.
According to Militarnyi, the An-22 played a foundational role in the evolution of Soviet heavy airlift capabilities, paving the way for even larger aircraft such as the An-124 Ruslan and the An-225 Mriya.
Earlier, an incident occurred at a Russian bomber aviation regiment when the ejection system activated onboard an aircraft parked inside its shelter.
The malfunction reportedly triggered an ejection while the jet was on the ground and static, resulting in the deaths of both the pilot and navigator, who sustained injuries described as “incompatible with life.”
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-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")