Russia lost two aircraft on 31 March — an An-26 military transport over occupied Crimea that crashed into a cliff in the Bakhchisarai mountains killing all 29 aboard, and an Su-34 fighter-bomber reported lost the same day at an unknown location by Russian military bloggers, according to Militarnyi. Ukraine’s General Staff did not confirm either aircraft as shot down. Russia opened a criminal case blaming its own crews for the transport.
An-26 crashes into Crimean cliff, killing all 29
Russia's Defense Ministry stated it lost contact with the An-26 at around 18:00 Moscow time on 31 March during what it described as a routine flight over the peninsula, and that the aircraft "was not hit." Search and rescue teams subsequently located the wreckage in mountainous terrain in the Bakhchisarai district.
Russian propaganda outlet RIA Novosti said that the MoD attributed the crash to a preliminary cause of technical malfunction — though RIA Novosti's very next dispatch cited a source at the scene saying the An-26 had struck a cliff.
Russia's Investigative Committee confirmed 29 dead — seven crew members and 22 passengers — and opened a criminal case for "violation of flight rules and preparation for them."
Su-34 reported lost — but unconfirmed
The same Russian military blogger Fighterbomber who confirmed the An-26 crash also reported the loss of an Su-34 fighter-bomber earlier the same day. The circumstances were not disclosed. Fighterbomber is closely associated with Russia’s bomber aviation, and his reports on such losses usually prove accurate.
Militarnyi noted that Fighterbomber illustrated the Su-34 report with a photograph he had already published in May 2024, mirrored and with the tail number obscured — a detail that raises questions about the evidence behind the claim.
One Russian source claimed the Su-34 pilot had tried to intercept a Ukrainian drone and lost both aircraft and crew in the attempt.
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