Aircraft of Russian military goes down in Crimea, resulting in 29 fatalities

n n

A Russian Antonov-26 military plane crashed while flying over the occupied Crimean peninsula, killing 29 people, the TASS state news agency reported Wednesday, quoting Russia’s defence ministry.

n

The Russian investigative committee, which handles major crimes, also confirmed the crash, without stating the death toll.

n

“On 31 March 2026, an An-26 aircraft crashed whilst in flight near the village of Kuibyshevo in the Bakhchysaray district of the Republic of Crimea. There were 7 crew members and 23 passengers on board,” the committee said.

n

It has also opened a probe into a flight safety violation.

n

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and has since administered it as Russian.

n

According to the TASS report, the defence ministry said that “on 31 March at around 18:00 Moscow time, contact was lost with the An-26 military transport aircraft whilst it was on a scheduled flight over the Crimean Peninsula.”

n

“The search and rescue team has located the crash site of the An-26 aircraft. According to reports from the scene, the six crew members and 23 passengers on board were killed,” TASS cited the ministry.

n

No signs of external impact were found on the aircraft’s wreckage, according to the TASS report, which indicated at this stage that technical failure likely caused the crash.

n

bur/db

n n