Russian military plane crashes in Crimea, 29 dead

A Russian Antonov-26 military plane has crashed over the occupied Crimean Peninsula, killing 29 people, according to reports from state news agency TASS citing Russia’s defence ministry.

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Russia’s investigative committee, which handles major criminal cases, also confirmed the incident but did not initially specify the number of casualties.

“On 31 March 2026, an An-26 aircraft crashed while in flight near the village of Kuibyshevo in the Bakhchysaray district of the Republic of Crimea. There were seven crew members and 23 passengers on board,” the committee said.

An investigation has been launched into a possible violation of flight safety regulations.

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and has since administered the region as part of its territory.

According to the defence ministry, contact with the aircraft was lost at around 18:00 Moscow time while it was on a scheduled flight over the peninsula.

Search and rescue teams later located the crash site. Authorities confirmed that all six crew members and 23 passengers on board were killed.

Preliminary reports indicate there were no signs of external impact on the wreckage, suggesting that a technical failure may have caused the crash.