A Russian An-26 military transport plane crashed into a cliff in annexed Crimea on Tuesday, killing all 29 people on board. Communication with the aircraft was lost around 6 p.m. local time during a routine flight over the peninsula.

The plane went down near the village of Kuibyshevo in the Bakhchisarai district, a mountainous forested area about 15 miles from the Black Sea coast. Russia's Defense Ministry reported that six crew members and 23 passengers perished, while investigators noted seven crew and 22 passengers, confirming 29 total fatalities with no survivors. A search team located the wreckage after the incident.

Russia's Defense Ministry cited a technical malfunction as the preliminary cause and emphasized there was no external impact on the aircraft, such as from missiles, drones, or birds. The ministry stated: "The preliminary cause of the crash is a technical malfunction. A commission from the military is working at the site." Russia's Investigative Committee opened a criminal probe into possible violations of flight rules or preflight preparation.

The An-26, a Soviet-designed light tactical transport in service since the late 1960s, carries cargo and up to 40 passengers over short distances. It has a history of crashes, including several involving Russian and Ukrainian forces in recent years. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, multiple Russian military aircraft have been lost, such as an An-22 in December 2025 killing seven and a Su-34 bomber in 2022 killing 15 civilians.

Crimea, annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014 following a disputed referendum, remains a flashpoint in the ongoing conflict. Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the crash. The incident occurred amid heightened military activity in the region.