The Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane went down as it attempted to land at the Osman Digna Air Base in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan after experiencing a "technical malfunction", according to a military source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorised to brief the media.
"All members of the aircraft's crew were killed in the crash," another military source said, also anonymously.
The Sudanese army has not disclosed how many personnel were on board and no official casualty figures have been released.
The Il-76, a Soviet-designed heavy transport aircraft, has long served as a workhorse of the military and is used to move supplies and personnel across frontlines.
The incident came as Sudan remains engulfed in one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
Since April 2023, the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been locked in a brutal power struggle that has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced nearly 12 million.
Millions more have been left in need of humanitarian assistance as fighting continues across multiple fronts.
Russia says no survivors in military cargo plane crash
Moscow (AFP) Dec 9, 2025 -
Russia on Tuesday said there were no survivors in a military plane crash east of Moscow, with state media reporting earlier there were seven people onboard.
The country's Investigative Committee, which is responsible for probing major crimes, said it had opened an investigation into flight preparation rules.
"On December 9, 2025, during a test flight, an AN-22 aircraft crashed near the village of Ivankovo in the Ivanovo region," the committee said.
"All crew members onboard were killed."
It did not say how many people were on the plane, but the TASS state news agency earlier reported the plane had seven crew members.
The defence ministry earlier said the flight took place after repair work.
"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, the defence ministry said.
The Ivanovo region is located around 200 kilometres (125 miles) east of Moscow.
There was no suggestion that the incident was connected to Russia's offensive on Ukraine or accusations of involvement by Kyiv.
Accidents involving military transport and equipment have become more frequent in Russia during its almost four-year campaign in Ukraine, which has seen increased military movement and activity in the country.
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