Moscow, 1 April 2026 (dpa/MIA) - Moscow said that 29 people were killed when a Russian military aircraft crashed over the Russian-annexed Black Sea peninsula of Crimea.

A search and rescue team found the crash site and reported six crew members and 23 passengers dead, state news agencies quoted the Russian Defence Ministry as saying early on Wednesday.

According to the reports, a technical defect was believed to have caused the crash and there was no external impact on the aircraft.

Earlier, the Defence Ministry had said it lost contact with the An-26 aircraft at around 6 pm (1500 GMT) on Tuesday. The ministry gave no details about the flight. Antonov turboprop planes are also used by the military as transport planes.

Russia has been waging a devastating war against Ukraine for more than four years. Moscow illegally annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014. Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russian sites in Crimea, including with drones.

Photo: EPA