A Russian military An-26 transport aircraft was crashed in occupied Crimea on Tuesday evening after communication with the aircraft was severed during a scheduled flight, according to statements from Russia’s Ministry of Defense and military-linked sources.

The fate of the crew and passengers remains unknown, with search-and-rescue teams dispatched to the suspected crash area.

The incident emerged at approximately 6:00 p.m. local time, when Russian officials said contact was lost with the aircraft while it was conducting what was described as a planned flight over the Crimean Peninsula.

In a statement, Russia’s Ministry of Defense confirmed the communications loss, saying: “At around 18:00, during a scheduled flight over the Crimean Peninsula, communication was lost with an An-26 military transport aircraft.” The ministry did not provide immediate details on the number of personnel aboard or the exact location where contact was lost.

Search-and-rescue groups were sent to the presumed crash zone, according to the ministry’s statement. As of the latest available information, the condition of the crew and any passengers had not been confirmed.

Later in the evening, military-linked Russian sources reported that the aircraft had crashed. Among them was Russian defense blogger Ilya Tumanov, founder of the widely followed Fighterbomber Telegram channel, who said the An-26 had been carrying military personnel.

“An-26 was transporting personnel. Preliminarily 30 people,” Tumanov wrote.

While the Russian Ministry of Defense has not independently confirmed the number of people on board, the figure of around 30 personnel has been widely circulated by pro-military Russian channels following the initial report of lost contact.

The Antonov An-26 is a twin-engine military transport aircraft designed for troop movement, cargo delivery, and logistical support missions. The platform has long been used across the former Soviet space for short- and medium-range transport operations, including the movement of personnel between bases and forward operational areas.

The An-26 is often employed to move service members, equipment, and supplies rapidly across regional airfields, especially where larger transport aircraft may be impractical. Crimea remains a key rear-area logistics node for Russian military activity in the Black Sea region and southern theater, making regular transport flights over the peninsula routine.

Preliminary assessments from Russian military-linked sources suggest that technical failure or pilot error are being treated as the leading possible causes of the incident. According to those reports, the possibility that the aircraft was attacked from the ground or struck by an enemy drone is not currently being considered among the primary versions under review.

No official technical findings have been released, and Russian authorities have not announced the recovery of flight recorders or wreckage. Without a formal investigation report, the cause of the incident remains unconfirmed.