A Russian Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane crashed on Wednesday in Russia's Belgorod region, state news agency RIA quoted the defence ministry as saying.

Video posted on the Telegram messenger app by Baza, a channel linked to Russian security services, showed a large aircraft falling towards the ground and exploding in a vast fireball.

The Il-76 is a military transport aircraft designed to airlift troops, cargo, military equipment and weapons. It has a normal crew of five people, and can carry up to 90 passengers.

Ukrainian military has reportedly said the incident was "their work." Reportedly 74 people have died in the incident.

Gladkov said investigators and emergency workers were already on the scene.

The Kremlin said in response to a reporter's question that it was looking into the situation.

Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, has come under frequent attack from Ukraine in recent months, including a December missile strike which killed 25 people.