"The tragedy claimed the lives of the crew of Tver military pilots, true professionals … Please convey my condolences to the comrades of the victims and words of support to the relatives of our officers,” Tver Region Governor Igor Rudenya said in a statement.
Pilots from Orenburg region were also killed in the Il-76 crash, Governor Denis Pasler said.
Earlier in the day, the Russian Defense Ministry said that an Il-76 military transport aircraft has crashed during the takeoff in Russia's Ivanovo Region.
"On March 12, 2024, an Il-76 military transport aircraft crashed in the Ivanovo region at about 13:00 Moscow time [10:00 GMT] while taking off for a scheduled flight. There were eight crew members and seven passengers on board," the ministry said in a statement.
The aircraft crashed as one of the engines caught fire during the takeoff, the ministry said, adding that a commission of the Russian aerospace forces is on its way to the Ivanovo airfield to find out the causes of the crash.
Ivanovo Region Governor Stanislav Voskresensky has arrived at the crash site, the local government said.
"Residential areas have not been damaged as a result of the incident. An operational headquarters has been arranged on the site, all the services are working," the local government said on Telegram.
The fire at the crash scene has been put out, Voskresensky wrote on Telegram later in the day.
The regional governor expressed condolences to the families of the deceased Il-76 pilots and ordered specialized services to provide all necessary assistance.
The Russian IL-76 heavy airlifter is a versatile and robust aircraft designed to transport troops, cargo and equipment. First introduced in the late 1970s, the IL-76 has since become a mainstay of the Russian Air Force and is also used by numerous other countries around the world.