Several incidents involving Russian military aviation occurred over a few days in temporarily occupied Crimea. Russia lost a Su-30 fighter jet, a Su-34 fighter-bomber, and an An-26 transport aircraft.
Details
A Su-30 fighter jet crashed on the territory of the annexed Crimean Peninsula. Russia’s Ministry of Defence reported this on April 3. According to the statement, the incident happened at 11:00 Moscow time.
The aircraft was performing a training flight without ammunition. The crew ejected. A ground search and rescue team evacuated them. The pilots were not injured.
As of now, the Ukrainian command has not reported any strikes on targets over occupied Crimea.
Previous incidents
On March 31, a Russian An-26 military transport aircraft crashed in Crimea. Russian state news agencies reported this overnight on April 1, citing the Russian Ministry of Defence. There were 29 people on board. All of them died. They included both crew members and passengers.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, the aircraft was carrying out a scheduled flight when communication was lost. It then crashed into a rock. Rescue teams later found the wreckage. A technical malfunction is considered the preliminary cause of the crash. The statement also said there was no external impact on the aircraft. Russia claimed that missiles or drones were not involved in the incident.
In addition, Russia also lost a Su-34 fighter-bomber. Russian pro-government channels reported this on March 31. They did not disclose the circumstances of the loss. The Su-34 is one of the key strike aircraft of the Russian air force. Russia actively uses it to carry out strikes on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure.
Earlier, The Ukrainian Review reported that Russia plans to capture the entire Donetsk region by the end of 2026. However, Ukrainian military officials consider this unlikely due to difficulties on the front line.
