Top Putin Commander Dies in Mysterious Plane Crash
April 6, 2026
The Daily Beast
Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via ReutersA top Russian military leader died in a plane crash last week in Russian-occupied Crimea. Alexander Otroshchenko, commander of the 45th Army of the Northern Fleet’s Air Force and Air Defense, was among the 30 people who died when an An-26 military transport plane crashed into a cliff on March 31. The cause of the crash remains unclear, with Russia’s Defense Ministry stating that the plane experienced a technical malfunction.
The BBC Russian Service first reported that Otroshchenko, who was involved in Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and Russian operations in Syria, was believed to have been one of those who had died in the crash. Several other Northern Fleet officers are also believed to be among the 23 passengers and seven crew members who died. The An-26 military transport plane was performing a scheduled flight close to where the fleet is based, and there was no indication that the aircraft had come under fire as part of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. An-26s have been involved in several incidents over the years, including a training flight crash in northeastern Ukraine in 2020 that killed 26 people. Read it at ReutersRead more at The Daily Beast.
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