Russian Military Plane Crash in Crimea Kills 29, Probe Underway

A Russian military transport aircraft has crashed in Crimea, killing all 29 people on board, according to Russian authorities and state media reports.

The Antonov An-26 was carrying 23 passengers and at least six crew members when it went down during a scheduled flight over the peninsula on Tuesday evening. Contact with the aircraft was lost at around 6pm local time.

Russia’s Investigative Committee of Russia later said there were seven crew members aboard, creating some initial uncertainty over the exact number of personnel on the flight. No survivors have been confirmed.

Sources cited by state news agencies said the aircraft crashed into a cliff in a mountainous, forested area, complicating rescue and recovery efforts.

The Russian Defence Ministry, quoted by Interfax, said preliminary findings point to a technical malfunction as the cause of the crash. Officials added there was no evidence of external interference, such as a missile strike, drone activity or bird collision.

A criminal investigation has been opened into possible violations of flight safety regulations, with military specialists and investigators deployed to the crash site.

Crimea, where the crash occurred, was annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014 and remains internationally recognised as Ukrainian territory.

The An-26, a Soviet-era twin-engine turboprop, has been widely used for military and cargo transport since the late 1960s. However, the aircraft model has been involved in multiple fatal incidents in recent years, raising ongoing concerns about ageing fleets and maintenance standards.

The latest crash adds to a series of deadly accidents involving the aircraft across different countries over the past decade.