Russia plane crash: 29 killed as military aircraft smashes into ground in Crimea after ‘malfunction’

Some 29 people have been killed after a Russian military plane crashed in Crimea, the country’s Defence Ministry has said.

The aircraft, an Antonov An-26 cargo plane, had vanished from radar on Tuesday afternoon.

“Contact was lost” with the plane, the Kremlin said – before claiming there was “no damage” to the aircraft.

Later that evening, it confirmed that 29 people were dead – six crew members and 23 passengers – with a mysterious malfunction to blame.

Local military bloggers claimed that Ukrainian drones were in the air over Crimea – occupied by Vladimir Putin’s forces since 2014 – at around 10.30pm local time (8.30pm BST).

Ukraine’s military has not commented on the crash.

The An-26 is a Soviet-era twin-engine turboprop aircraft, which has been widely used for short- and medium-haul transport.

It can carry up to 40 troops or just over five tons of cargo.

Ukraine’s intelligence services destroyed two Russian An-26s in a drone attack on Crimea in September 2025.