A Ukrainian An-12 transport aircraft may have flown from the closed airport in Chernovtsy to Iceland to pick up weapons, ammunition or missiles for Patriot air defense systems, military pilot Vladimir Popov told Gazeta.Ru.
According to Popov, Kiev is actively searching for such supplies in different countries and is trying to bring them to Ukraine as quickly as possible. He linked this effort to attempts to protect at least the country’s central region and Kiev.
Popov also said the choice of an An-12 for a flight to Reykjavik was unlikely to be accidental. The aircraft is well suited for difficult operating conditions and does not require highly developed airfield infrastructure. In his assessment, Iceland is now entering a spring transition period marked by melting glaciers, which can make conditions challenging, while the An-12 is capable of handling such tasks.
European Union air traffic control services reported on June 3 that a transport aircraft had departed from a closed airport in western Ukraine.
A TASS source later specified that despite the closure of Ukrainian airspace, the An-12 flew from Chernovtsy to Reykjavik via Kishinev. According to the agency’s source, the aircraft has been in operation for 56 years.
In late 2025 and early 2026, the same aircraft spent more than four months operating charter cargo flights almost daily between countries in the Western Hemisphere. It later flew routes in Africa and Europe.