(File Photo: Xinhua)
Moscow, April 1 (IANS) Six crew members and 23 passengers were killed when a Russian An‑26 military transport plane crashed in Crimea, the Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed early Wednesday.
The aircraft collided with a cliff, a source at the scene told TASS news agency.
The Russian defense ministry said late Tuesday that the An-26 had lost contact during a scheduled flight over the Crimean Peninsula, Xinhua news agency reported.
According to preliminary information, the crash was caused by a technical malfunction, and no hostile fire targeted the aircraft.
“On 31 March at around 18:00 Moscow time, contact was lost with the An-26 military transport aircraft whilst it was on a scheduled flight over the Crimean Peninsula,” the defence ministry said.
"The search and rescue team has located the crash site of the An-26 aircraft. According to reports from the scene, the six crew members and 23 passengers on board were killed," the ministry added.
The ministry report did not say how many people were on board, but it made no mention of any survivors on the An-26, a light tactical military transport that has for decades been a mainstay that can carry cargo and up to 40 passengers over short and medium distances.
In a similar incident earlier in December 2025, Russia reported a deadly military aviation accident involving an Antonov transport aircraft. On December 9, an Antonov An-22 crashed during a test flight near the village of Ivankovo in the Ivanovo region, located east of Moscow. The aircraft had taken off following repair work, suggesting it was undergoing post-maintenance testing when the incident occurred.
Russian authorities confirmed that there were no survivors. While the official statement did not initially specify the number of people onboard, the state-run TASS news agency reported earlier that the plane was carrying seven crew members. All were killed in the crash, marking a tragic loss for the military aviation unit involved.
