A Russian military plane has crashed in the occupied Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, resulting in the deaths of 29 people on board, according to the Russian defence ministry. The ministry attributed the incident to a "technical failure" and reported no external damage to the aircraft, implying that missiles, drones, or birds are not suspected as causes, though this claim has not been independently verified amid the volatile security situation in the region.
Wreckage of the An-26 aircraft was found on Tuesday after the plane lost contact with authorities during what was described as a "routine flight." Seven crew members and 23 passengers were on board as it flew over Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014, a move that has fueled ongoing hostilities and geopolitical tensions with Ukraine and its Western allies.
Russia's Investigative Committee confirmed the crash and stated it had opened an inquiry into a flight safety violation. News agency TASS reported that communication with the plane was lost at approximately 18:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, with the wreckage located following a search and rescue operation. Ukraine has not commented on the crash, reflecting the deep-seated mistrust and lack of dialogue between the two sides in the protracted conflict.
The An-26 is a Soviet-era aircraft primarily used for military transport of heavy cargo and limited passengers over short-to-medium distances, manufactured by the Ukrainian aerospace company Antonov. These planes have been in service since the late 1960s and have been involved in several deadly crashes, raising questions about their safety and maintenance standards, particularly in conflict zones.
In 2020, 26 people, mostly cadets, were killed when a Ukrainian An-26 crashed in Kharkiv. The following year, 28 people died in a crash in the Russian Far East, and in 2022, one person was killed in a crash in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region. Fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces has persisted in Crimea since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion four years ago, with Ukrainian strikes often targeting Russian military bases on the peninsula, underscoring the high-risk environment for such operations.
Source: www.bbc.com