Direct proof of use
The An-72 is documented in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War through reporting on a Russian An-72P at Kirovske airfield in occupied Crimea. The Kyiv Independent, citing Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, reported that Ukrainian forces and military intelligence struck the airfield overnight on April 2, 2026 and destroyed a Russian An-72P patrol aircraft.
Ukrainska Pravda reported the same strike as an operation by Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces and Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, describing the destroyed aircraft as an An-72P transport aircraft at Kirovske near Krasnosilske, Crimea. NV and United24 likewise attributed the report to statements by Unmanned Systems Forces commander Robert Brovdi and placed the aircraft among Russian assets hit at the airfield.
Sources: Kyiv Independent Kirovske An-72P strike, Ukrainska Pravda Kirovske An-72P strike, NV Kirovske An-72P strike, United24 Kirovske An-72P strike
Timeline
The available public record for this weapon in the conflict centers on the April 2026 Kirovske incident rather than a broad, dated record of An-72 sorties. The reported strike occurred overnight on April 1-2, 2026, and Ukrainian and Ukrainian-linked outlets published the An-72P claim on April 2.
The same reports said the attack also hit Orion strike-reconnaissance drone facilities and a P-37 radar at the airfield, which places the aircraft inside a wider Russian aviation and unmanned-systems site in occupied Crimea.
Sources: Kyiv Independent Kirovske An-72P strike, Ukrainska Pravda Kirovske An-72P strike, NV Kirovske An-72P strike
Role in the conflict
The sourced conflict-use claim is deployment by Russia at Kirovske airfield, not a documented An-72 strike mission. The aircraft reported destroyed was identified as an An-72P, a patrol-oriented member of the An-72 family. GlobalSecurity describes the An-72P as a maritime patrol and armed patrol variant with observation and camera provisions, while Antonov's history identifies the An-72 family as a short takeoff and landing transport aircraft line.
In the catalog record for this conflict, the An-72 therefore fits Russia's mobility, logistics, patrol, and surveillance context. The April 2026 reporting directly supports the presence and loss of the aircraft at a Russian-held Crimean airfield during the full-scale phase of the war, while the aircraft's exact operational tasking at Kirovske is not established in the public reports used here.
Sources: GlobalSecurity An-72 COALER, Antonov AN-72 history, Kyiv Independent Kirovske An-72P strike, United24 Kirovske An-72P strike
