A Russian military plane, an Il-76MD Candid crashed due to an engine fire that started shortly after take-off. No formal reason has been given for the crashed aircraft but Foreign Object Damage, bird strikes, or drones, are among the likely causes. The crash happened around Ivanovo, Russia – 700 kilometers or 435 miles from the Ukrainian border. A video captured the final moments of the plane with a very visible fire burning on one of its four engines. https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1767505535186682177?t=WdoPT8Z1ow9GCfnWesFTaw&s=19 All eight crew and seven passengers were killed in the crash, which is the second Il-76MD lost by the Russian Air Force inside Russian airspace in 2024. It is speculated that the crash might be similar to a 2002 Il-76MD crash which was also a result of an engine engine and the fire extinguisher system failing. The Il-76 is the core of the Beriev A-50 Airborne Warning And Control Systems (AWACS) aircraft that have been the subject of Ukrainian missile attacks and drone attacks. The A-50s come with a radome atop the Il-76. The system can direct Russian aerial attacks as well as intercept Ukrainian airpower with air controllers operating radar and radio equipment in the cabin.