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Senior Russian commander Alexander Otroshchenko killed in March air crash, official says

Authorities said the An-26 was on a routine flight and investigators opened a criminal probe into possible flight-rule violations.

  • Lieutenant General Alexander Otroshchenko, commander of the 45th Army of the Northern Fleet's Air Force and Air Defence, died when an An-26 military transport plane crashed into a cliff in Crimea on March 31.
  • The Russian Defence Ministry cited a technical malfunction as the preliminary cause, with 29 military personnel killed on board the aircraft.
  • On Monday, Murmansk Governor Andrei Chibis confirmed the general's death, noting he had met with Otroshchenko just days before the crash.
  • Federal investigators launched a criminal probe under Article 351 of the Russian Criminal Code, examining potential violations of flight rules and preparation regulations.
  • BBC News Russian estimates Otroshchenko is the 14th Russian general killed since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, while Kyiv has made no claims regarding the incident.
Insights by Ground AI

22 Articles

Lean Left

A Russian military aircraft crashed over Crimea at the end of March. As Russia's authorities now state, a high-ranking commander has been killed.

·Germany
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Lean Left

At the end of March, a Russian military plane crashed and crashed against a rock face in Crimea. Among the dead is also a high-ranking general.

The IndependentThe Independent
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The Independent (US)The Independent (US)
Lean Left

Russian air force commander among victims of Crimean plane crash

·London, United Kingdom
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The Sun broke the news in United Kingdom on Friday, April 3, 2026.
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