Ukrainian An-124 cargo plane carrying NATO weapons catches fire in Japan airport

The conflict in Ukraine is taking on unprecedented and global dimensions, as on October 22 an An-124-100 Ruslan transport aircraft carrying NATO weapons on behalf of the Ukrainian army caught a major fire at Chubu Centrair International Airport in Japan, amid fears of a sabotage operation, and in the aftermath of a similar incident in Leipzig, for which the West blames Russia, as reported on October 22 by Militarnyi.
Specifically, on October 22, a major fire broke out on a Ukrainian An-124-100 Ruslan transport aircraft operated by Antonov Airlines at Chubu Centrair International Airport in Ise Bay, Japan.

A heavy transport aircraft, the Ан-124 "Ruslan," carrying military equipment for Ukraine, caught fire at the Tubu airport in Japan, according to the NHK news agency. The extent of the damage is unknown, as is the nature of the cargo on board the "Ruslan." The aircraft, registration number UR-82029, manufactured by the Kyiv Aviation Plant in 1991, has been actively used to transport military equipment to Ukraine from NATO countries and other countries allied with the alliance.

— Sprinter Press (@Sprinter_Press) October 23, 2026

Due to the incident, the runway was closed for 15 minutes, according to FL360aero.
Following an inspection, the airport returned to normal flight operations.
It is not yet known whether the aircraft sustained damage or if anyone was injured.
Meanwhile, no official report specifies what cargo the Ruslan was carrying or the cause of the fire, though open sources are already speaking of a shipment of NATO weapons...
The An-124 Ruslan is one of the largest cargo aircraft in the world, developed by the Antonov Design Bureau in Kyiv.

«Not the first explosion incident on a Ukrainian transport»

This is not the first incident involving a Ukrainian Ruslan with a suspected sabotage attempt abroad.
After all, on the night of August 5, a drone containing explosives and a detonator was found near an An-124 of Antonov Airlines at the airport of Leipzig in Germany.
According to media reports, the airplane was loaded with ammunition.

In that incident, the device did not explode, and American intelligence agencies linked the sabotage attempt to the Russian military intelligence agency.

WSJ: Putin sows terror in NATO in all corners of the globe

According, moreover, to The Wall Street Journal, Vladimir Putin of Russia has ordered an escalation of sabotage operations against NATO countries, so the Alliance may face new attacks similar to the one in Leipzig.

In turn, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has also warned about Kremlin plans regarding Ukraine and Europe.

Ukrainian media: «Ukrainian An-124 Ruslan caught fire during landing in Japan»

For their part, Ukrainian media report that a Ukrainian An-124-100 Ruslan transport aircraft operated by Antonov Airlines caught fire at Chubu International Airport in Japan on October 22.
The aviation tracking channel AviVector first reported the relevant incident.
Due to the emergency, the runway was closed for approximately 15 minutes.

Following an inspection, the airport restored regular flight arrivals and departures.
At present there is no information on casualties or potential damage to the aircraft.
The nature of the cargo carried by the aircraft has also not been reported.

Ukrainians move Antonov production... abroad: Terror over Russian barrage

The An-124-100 Ruslan is a heavy transport aircraft designed to carry outsized and heavy cargo.
It has a maximum payload capacity of approximately 120 tons, and its design permits cargo loading from both the nose and the tail section of the fuselage.
Following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Antonov Airlines relocated its primary operational base to the airport of Leipzig in Germany.

In August 2026, one of the company's aircraft became the target of a sabotage attempt at the airport: an FPV drone carrying explosives struck the wing of an An-124, but the explosive device failed to detonate.

Russia: Hastily and clumsily staged provocation operations...

However, the Russian embassy in Berlin spoke at the time of a «hastily fabricated provocation», commenting on the incident involving the drone carrying an explosive device at the airport of Leipzig in Germany.
According to the Russian diplomatic mission, the incident is being exploited to strengthen anti-Russian rhetoric in Europe and further military support for Ukraine.
The embassy rejected reports of Russian «hybrid attacks», asserting that there is no evidence linking Moscow to the event.
The drone was located on the night of August 5 near a Ukrainian transport aircraft in Leipzig, one of the most important cargo airports in Germany.
German authorities confirmed that it carried an explosive device, while the detonator was removed by specialists.
The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office has taken over an investigation into a potential terrorist act.
Minister of the Interior Alexander Dobrindt characterized the incident as a «new quality of danger» and spoke of a hybrid attack scenario, without however naming a culprit.
So far, German authorities have not officially attributed the attack to Russia.
The Russian embassy simultaneously accused circles in Germany of using the event to promote scenarios of greater confrontation with Moscow, speaking of a «new wave of anti-Russian hysteria».

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