Twenty-nine killed as Russian military plane 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. Russia said a rescue team had found its wreckage. 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. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say More to follow... Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter

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