A Russian general involved in the occupation of the Crimean Peninsula was killed in an An-26 crash in Crimea
2 April 23:41
Lieutenant General Alexander Otroshchenko of the Russian Armed Forces is believed to have been killed in the crash of a Russian An-26 military aircraft in occupied Crimea on the evening of March 31. This is reported the BBC’s Russian service, citing its own sources, reports "Komersant Ukrainian"
The previous evening, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it had lost contact with an An-26 military transport aircraft that was “conducting a routine flight over Crimea.”
Later, the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that the An-26 had crashed, killing 30 people—7 crew members and 23 passengers.
At the same time, Russian officials insisted that “there was no impact on the aircraft,” and that the crash was allegedly caused by a technical malfunction, after which the plane crashed into a cliff.
What is known about Otroshchenko
The BBC Russia reported that from 2010 to 2013, Otroshchenko commanded the Black Sea Fleet’s naval aviation, and later headed the naval aviation there and commanded the 45th Air Force and Air Defense Army of the Northern Fleet.
In 2019, he was promoted to lieutenant general, and in 2024, Otroshchenko became commander of the Northern Fleet’s Combined Aviation Corps.
In addition, in 2014, Alexander Otroshchenko participated in Russia’s occupation of Crimea, and later in Russia’s operation in Syria.
This makes him not just a high-ranking Russian military officer, but one of the commanders whose career is directly linked to Russia’s foreign military campaigns.
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