As many as fifteen people are believed to have been killed after a Russian military transport plane crashed shortly after takeoff.

A wild video showed flames pouring from the right wing of the plane as it steamed across the sky.

Russia's Defense Ministery said the IL-76 military cargo aircraft crashed at around 1 p.m. on a "Scheduled flight," Newsweek reported.

"According to reports from the scene, the cause of the disaster was a fire in one of the engines during takeoff of the aircraft," the statement added.

It was unclear what caused the fire.

Russian military blogger War Gonzo claimed that the plane had taken off from the Severny airfield in Ivanovo.

That airfield was reportedly targeted by Ukrainian drones last May, the Independent reported.

Other unverified videos showed what appeared to be the crash scene.

The crash comes about two months after another IL-76 plane that Moscow claimed had been carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners crashed near Ukraine.