A Russian military plane crashed in occupied Crimea this week, leaving 29 dead, according to Russian state news agencies that cited government officials. The Russian Defense Ministry said the wreck of the Antonov An-26 was located on Tuesday after a “routine flight” went awry due to an unspecified “technical failure.” The state news agency Tass reported that contact with the plane was lost at around 6 p.m. local time. There is no suggestion that the Soviet-era aircraft was hit by Ukrainian weaponry, reports the BBC, but it was carrying 23 passengers and at least six crew. Ukraine did not immediately comment on the crash, which occurred in an Ukranian territory that Russia illegally annexed in 2014. A flight safety violation investigation has been launched by Russia’s Investigative Committee. While details about the cause of the crash remain scarce, Tass wrote that the plane “crashed into a cliff.” The Antonov An-26 was first introduced in the 1960s and has a shaky safety record, with dozens of fatal incidents since then.
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