MOSCOW, Dec 9 — A Russian military plane crashed today during a test flight after repair work, the defence ministry said.

TASS state news agency reported seven people were on board at the time of the crash and it was unknown whether they survived.

“Today in the Ivanovo region, during a test flight following repairs, an AN-22 military transport aircraft crashed,” state media quoted the defence ministry as saying in a statement.

“The plane went down in an uninhabited area,” it added.

Search crews had been deployed and an investigation opened into the accident, the defence ministry said.

The Ivanovo region is located around 200 kilometres east of Moscow.

There was no suggestion that the incident was connected to Russia’s offensive on Ukraine or accusations of involvement by Kyiv. — AFP