Military transport aircraft lost contact during flight over occupied Crimea; Russia’s Ministry of Defense preliminarily attributes the accident to a technical failure.
A Russian An-26 military transport aircraft disappeared from radar over temporarily occupied Crimea and crashed this Tuesday in an incident that, according to Russia’s Ministry of Defense, left 29 people dead. The aircraft was conducting a scheduled flight when communication was lost, prompting search and rescue teams to be deployed to the area of the likely crash site.
The case was initially reported by Russian channels linked to the military and by pro-Kremlin propagandists, including Fighterbomber. Early reports mentioned around 30 people on board. Later, Moscow stated that the aircraft was carrying 23 passengers and six crew members, totaling 29 occupants.
According to the official Russian version, there are initially no indications that the aircraft was struck. The preliminary hypothesis put forward by the authorities points to a technical failure or crew error, although the exact circumstances of the accident have not yet been detailed.
The disappearance of the An-26 once again draws attention to the risks involving Russian military flights over Crimea, an area annexed by Russia in 2014 and at the center of successive episodes related to the war. Aircraft of this model have previously been involved in incidents on the peninsula.
One of the most talked-about cases occurred in December 2025, when the An-26KPA Kalibrovshchik laboratory aircraft was destroyed during takeoff. The new accident reinforces the sequence of losses and incidents involving Russian air assets in the region.
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Source and images: Militarnyi | Wikimedia | Telegram @bomber_fighter. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
