Russian Military Transport Plane Crashes in Crimea, Killing 29
A Russian Antonov An-26 military transport aircraft crashed into a cliff in occupied Crimea on Tuesday evening, killing all 29 people on board.According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, contact with the plane was lost around 6:00 PM Moscow time (15:00 GMT) on March 31, 2026, during a scheduled routine flight over the Crimean Peninsula. The wreckage…
A Russian Antonov An-26 military transport aircraft crashed into a cliff in occupied Crimea on Tuesday evening, killing all 29 people on board.
According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, contact with the plane was lost around 6:00 PM Moscow time (15:00 GMT) on March 31, 2026, during a scheduled routine flight over the Crimean Peninsula. The wreckage was later found near the village of Kuibyshevo in the Bakhchysaray district, close to the Black Sea coast.
The aircraft was carrying 23 passengers and 6 crew members. Search and rescue teams confirmed that there were no survivors.
Preliminary investigations point to a technical malfunction as the likely cause. The ministry stated there was “no impact” on the aircraft, ruling out external factors such as missiles, drones, or bird strikes. A full investigation has been launched.
The An-26 is a Soviet-era light tactical transport plane widely used by the Russian military for carrying troops and cargo over short and medium distances.
The crash occurred in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014, amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
