A deadly aircraft accident in the Crimean Peninsula has claimed 29 lives after a Russian military transport plane went down Tuesday evening, according to reports from Moscow defense officials.
The An-26 transport aircraft was conducting routine operations over the peninsula when military officials lost communication with the flight at approximately 6 p.m. Tuesday. Russia took control of Crimea from Ukraine through annexation in 2014.
Emergency responders found the Soviet-era turboprop aircraft had collided with a cliff face, according to sources who spoke with Russian state media outlets Tass and RIA Novosti.
Initial reports from Russia’s Investigative Committee indicate 30 people were aboard the flight – seven crew members and 23 passengers. Official statements suggest one person may have survived the crash, though details remain unclear.
Authorities have initiated a criminal investigation focusing on potential flight regulation violations, with search operations continuing in the mountainous, wooded terrain of the Bakhchisarai district.
Defense Ministry sources told the Interfax news agency that investigators believe a mechanical failure likely caused the accident, ruling out any external interference with the aircraft.
This incident adds to a growing list of Russian military aviation accidents that have occurred since Moscow’s military engagement in Ukraine began.
Recent crashes include an An-22 transport plane that went down in Russia’s Ivanovo region last December, killing seven crew members. Other incidents this year involved a MiG-31 fighter jet crash in the Lipetsk region in October and a Tu-22M3 bomber that crashed in Siberia’s Irkutsk region in April.
In late 2022, a Su-34 bomber crashed into residential buildings in the Russian coastal city of Yeysk, igniting a large fire that killed 15 people.
