Ukrainian Navy comments on crashes of Russian An-26 and Su-30 aircraft in occupied Crimea
The Ukrainian Navy has not confirmed its involvement in recent crashes of Russian An-26 and Su-30 aircraft in temporarily occupied Crimea, suggesting that they may have been caused by accidents or by Russian military systems.
Source: Dmytro Pletenchuk, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, in a comment to Ukrinform
Quote: "We cannot confirm our involvement in these events regarding the specified aircraft [An-26 – ed.], which reportedly had 29 people on board, including crew members. According to currently available data, it was most likely an accident."
Details: Pletenchuk added that, given the active operation of Russian air defence systems and electronic warfare assets in Crimea, the possibility of interference from Russia's own systems cannot be ruled out, particularly as a result of GPS jamming or errors in air defence operations during combat.
"I think more data will, of course, come in over time, but in any case, intelligence obtained from temporarily occupied Crimea usually requires fairly lengthy verification and investigation, as it originates from behind enemy lines," Pletenchuk explained.
He said the Navy was also not involved in the Su-30 incident and cannot confirm that the aircraft was shot down.
"Most likely, it was an accident related to the operation of the aircraft. This may be linked to extreme operating conditions of these aircraft," the spokesperson suggested.
Pletenchuk clarified that the intensive use of Russian aviation in the Azov-Black Sea region increases equipment wear and tear and crew fatigue, which may lead to such incidents, especially as the active flight season begins.
Background:
- On 1 April, it became known that Russian military transport aircraft An-26 crashed in occupied Crimea, killing all 29 people on board.
- Among the dead was Russian General Aleksandr Otroshchenko.
- On 3 April, Russia's Ministry of Defence reported that a Su-30 fighter jet had crashed in temporarily occupied Crimea, with the crew ejecting safely.
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