Two Russian Planes Downed In Crimea. 29 Passengers Included Air Force General

Russia lost two planes over Crimea in one day this week. One, a bomber, was shot down by Ukraine with the loss of at least one of its two pilots. 

The other, a transport, crashed with the loss of 29 passengers, including a senior Russian general who commanded the Aviation Corps of Russia's Northern Fleet. It is interesting to note that news of the losses was published on Russia's Telegram channel rather than from Ukrainian or other sources, which may confirm growing discontent within the Russian military over the conduct of the war. JL

Patryk Jagnieza reports in Defense 24 and Oleksandr Shumilin reports in Ukraine Pravda:

Reports of the incidents emerged on the evening of March 31 via Russian Telegram channels. The first aircraft to crash was a Su-34 bomber. One of the pilots was killed, while the fate of the second remains unknown. The aircraft had been shot down by Ukrainian forces. The second lost aircraft was an An-26 transport plane. The aircraft crashed in Russian-occupied Crimea, killing 23 passengers and 6 crew members. This was confirmed by the Russian Ministry of Defence. Russian General Aleksandr Otroshchenko was onboard the military An-26 aircraft. In 2024, he became commander of the Mixed Aviation Corps of the Northern Fleet. He became the 14th Russian general to be killed since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Reports of the incidents emerged on the evening of March 31 via Russian Telegram channels. The first aircraft to crash was reportedly a Su-34 bomber. One of the pilots was killed, while the fate of the second remains unknown. Ukrainian media claimed that the aircraft had been shot down by Ukrainian forces; however, the military has not confirmed these reports. The loss is significant, as the cost of a single Su-34 is approximately $50 million.

The Su-34 is one of the newest aircraft in the Russian arsenal. It came into service in 2014, and currently Russia has around 150 units of this type. It’s expected that the Su-34 will replace the older bombers Tu-22 and Su-24. 

The second lost aircraft was an An-26 transport plane. The aircraft crashed in Russian-occupied Crimea, killing 23 passengers and 6 crew members. This information was confirmed by the Russian Ministry of Defence. According to Russian sources, contact with the military aircraft was lost around 6:00 p.m. Moscow time. The ministry also reported that a search and rescue team had located the wreckage. According to their statement, “there was no evidence of external damage to the aircraft,” and the likely cause of the crash was technical failure.

An-26 is a Soviet-era aircraft designed for short and medium-haul operations. The vehicle has been in active service in the Russian military despite its age. Several An-26 units have already fallen to Ukrainian strikes in recent months. 

 

Russian General Aleksandr Otroshchenko was onboard the military An-26 aircraft that crashed in annexed Crimea on 1 April.

Quote: "Lieutenant General Aleksandr Otroshchenko, Commander of the Mixed Aviation Corps of the Northern Fleet, was most likely one of the passengers on the An-26 military transport aircraft that crashed on the evening of 31 March in the area of the village of Kuibysheve in the Bakhchysarai district in annexed Crimea.

Otroshchenko's death was reported to BBC's Russian Service by a source from among Northern Fleet servicemen and was also confirmed by a resident of Severomorsk who lost a relative in the crash."

Details: Otroshchenko commanded the naval aircraft of the Black Sea Fleet from 2010 to 2013 and later headed the naval aircraft of the Northern Fleet. In 2024, he became commander of the Mixed Aviation Corps of the Northern Fleet. He took part in the annexation of Crimea. As BBC writes, Otroshchenko became the 14th Russian general to be killed since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Background: On 1 April, it emerged that a Russian An-26 military transport aircraft had crashed in occupied Crimea, killing all 29 people on board.