A Russian military plane broke apart in midair before crashing into a reservoir, killing all seven on board.
The An-22 Antey transport aircraft disintegrated in mid-air, as shown in new footage.
The tail section from behind the wing broke off as the plane plummeted down and splashed into the water.
This type of plane was once the largest in the world when it originally came into service in 1969 during the Soviet era.
The crash was five days ago in the Ivanovo region – far from the war zone in Ukraine – but this is the first video to show the catastrophic moment of the horror.
It was filmed from a dacha settlement near the reservoir.
The Antonov was on a test flight after repairs, according to reports.
However, Russia’s 308th Air Repair Plant has denied it was responsible for reports before the crash.
There was speculation that overloading may have caused the break-up run midair, which came without a fire.
This plane was the oldest aircraft of its kind still in service with Vladimir Putin’s armed forces.
Pro-war channels expressed incredulity that the “ancient” aircraft was allowed to fly.
The hulking Antonov – believed to be 51 years old – crashed into the Uvod, or Uvodskoye, Reservoir northeast of Moscow.
The emergency services have been diving in freezing waters at the large artificial lake every day since the crash on 9 December in a search for the bodies of the victims and evidence of the cause of the horror.
The depth is believed to be 23ft.
At the time of the crash, Mash news outlet reported: “The crew did their best to steer the aircraft away from populated areas until the last moment.”
However, it is unclear what control the crew had over the aircraft.
Russia – which has lost dozens of planes in the war and faced sanctions hitting the maintenance of its fleet – is relying on older planes in both the military and civilian sectors.
This An-22 Antey [Antei] was “the last operational aircraft of this type in the Russian Armed Forces”,” reported pro-Kremlin SHOT media outlet.
A Russian Defence Ministry commission was sent to the scene to investigate the loss.
With a NATO reporting name ‘Cock’, the An-22 has a 187ft length and 210ft wingspan, with four turboprops, each driving contra-rotating propellers.
It is capable of carrying payloads of up to 80 tonnes.
The aircraft was supposed to have been phased out by last year but remained in use by Putin’s war machine.
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