A Russian general was killed in the An-26 crash in Crimea
Lieutenant General Alexander Otroshchenko, commander of the Russian Northern Fleet’s Combined Aviation Corps, was among the victims of the crash of an An-26 military transport aircraft in the Bakhchisaray district.
According to the Russian propaganda channel “Spy’s Dossier,” 29 other people were on board with the high-ranking military commander, including six officers from the Northern Fleet headquarters. All passengers and seven crew members were killed on March 31 near the village of Kuibyshevo.
Otroshchenko’s death confirms significant losses among the senior command of the Russian Air Force. Andrey Chibis, Governor of the Murmansk Region, officially stated that Northern Fleet servicemen were traveling on the plane, though he did not specify their number or names. Alexander Otroshchenko directly commanded the aviation corps based in the Arctic, and his presence on board underscores the importance of the staff group’s mission.
According to the Russian Investigative Committee, the preliminary cause of the crash was a technical malfunction of the aircraft. Search operations at the crash site in the mountainous terrain of the occupied peninsula are ongoing. Russian authorities are investigating the circumstances of the incident, which resulted in the simultaneous deaths of the general and a group of staff officers. At this time, the Russian Ministry of Defense has not released a full list of the deceased, though sources linked to security forces have already confirmed Otroshchenko’s death.
An An-26 military transport aircraft crashed on March 31 in Crimea after colliding with a cliff. The crash killed 29 people.
