Overview
- The An-26, which lost contact Tuesday around 6 p.m. local time over Crimea, was later found smashed into a cliff with no survivors reported.
- Russia’s Defense Ministry listed six crew and 23 passengers dead, while the Investigative Committee now says seven crew were aboard, putting the total at 30.
- The Defense Ministry reported no external damage to the wreckage and named a likely technical malfunction as the preliminary cause.
- The Investigative Committee opened a criminal probe into possible flight‑rule violations and sent teams to the rugged, forested Bakhchysarai district east of Sevastopol.
- Local channels mentioned Ukrainian drones later that night, yet officials reported no signs of an attack and Kyiv has not claimed involvement.