A Russian military plane has crashed in the occupied Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, killing 29 people on board, according to the Russian defense ministry.
The wreckage of the An-26 aircraft was discovered after it lost contact during a routine flight, the ministry revealed.
The crash has been attributed to a 'technical failure,' with the ministry stating there was no external damage to the plane, suggesting that external factors such as missiles or drones were not involved.
Among the deceased were seven crew members and 23 passengers flying over Crimea, a territory Russia illegally annexed in 2014.
Following the crash, Russia's Investigative Committee confirmed the incident and announced the initiation of a probe into a potential flight safety violation.
Reports indicate that communication was lost with the aircraft around 18:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, prompting a search and rescue operation.
Ukraine has not released any statements regarding the crash.
The An-26, a Soviet-era aircraft primarily for military use, is designed to transport heavy cargo and passengers over short- to medium-distance routes. It has been in use since the late 1960s and has a history of known crashes.
This incident follows a trend of tragedies involving military flights in the region, with multiple fatal crashes reported in the past few years. Since the escalation of conflict due to Russia’s full-scale invasion four years ago, fighting has been prevalent in Crimea.
Ukrainian forces have commonly targeted Russian military bases in Crimea, which borders the partially occupied Kherson region, while President Volodymyr Zelensky has consistently called for the withdrawal of Russian forces as part of any ceasefire agreement.
The implications of this crash may resonate beyond immediate concerns of flight safety, impacting ongoing negotiations and military operations in the contested region.
