According to TASS, the plane lost contact at approximately 6 p.m. Moscow time while conducting a routine flight near the village of Kuibyshevo in Bakhchysaray district. Investigators from the Defense Ministry and the Russian Investigative Committee were dispatched to the crash site to determine the cause. The committee announced the opening of a criminal investigation into a possible violation of flight safety regulations.

"The preliminary examination at the crash site did not reveal evidence of external interference,” a spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Defense told. "The likely cause at this stage is a technical malfunction.” Local witnesses reported seeing the plane collide with a cliff, scattering debris across a mountainous area. One resident described the scene, stating, "We saw smoke rising from the slope. Emergency crews arrived quickly, but there was nothing they could do.”

Interfax reported that the Antonov An-26 was performing a scheduled military transport mission. Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, remains under Moscow’s control, and the peninsula continues to host significant military operations.

Russian military aviation has experienced a series of accidents since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Notably, in December 2025, an An-22 cargo aircraft crashed in Ivanovo region, killing seven crew members. In October 2025, a MiG-31 fighter jet went down during a landing attempt in Lipetsk, and in December 2024, an Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane crashed northeast of Moscow, killing all 15 on board. The series of incidents has raised concerns among aviation experts about fleet maintenance and operational safety.

Military aviation analysts emphasize the operational strain on Russia’s transport fleet due to ongoing deployments in Ukraine. 

Observers note that the crash underscores ongoing challenges for Russia in maintaining military transport safety while sustaining operations across multiple regions. Local authorities in Bakhchysaray district continue to secure the crash site, recover remains, and investigate the technical circumstances of the aircraft’s failure.

The Russian Investigative Committee has pledged to release further findings once a complete analysis of flight recorders and maintenance logs is concluded.