Russian military AN-26 aircraft crashes in Crimea, 29 killed

Moscow (The Uttam Hindu): A Russian military transport aircraft, Antonov An-26, crashed in Crimea, killing all 29 people on board, the Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed on Wednesday.

The victims include six crew members and 23 passengers. According to initial reports, the aircraft collided with a rock during flight. The incident occurred late Tuesday night when the aircraft was on a scheduled mission over the Crimean Peninsula.

The ministry stated that contact with the aircraft was lost around 6 pm (Moscow time) on March 31. Search and rescue teams later located the crash site, confirming that there were no survivors.

Preliminary findings suggest that the crash was caused by a technical malfunction, and there is no indication of any external attack.

The AN-26 is a light military transport aircraft that has been in service for decades and is capable of carrying around 40 passengers along with cargo over short to medium distances.

Previous incident

This is not the first such accident involving Russian military aircraft. In December 2025, an Antonov An-22 crashed near Ivankovo village in the Ivanovo region, east of Moscow, during a test flight following repairs.

All seven crew members on board were killed in that incident as well. The crash was considered a major loss for Russian military aviation.