Ukrainian Navy Denies Involvement in Incidents with An-26 and Su-30 Aircraft in Crimea

In response to the recent incidents involving Russian An-26 and Su-30 aircraft that occurred in the temporarily occupied Crimea, Dmytro Pletenchuk, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, provided a comment emphasizing that the Navy cannot confirm its involvement in these events.

Pletenchuk stated that the situation with the An-26 aircraft, which reportedly had 29 people on board, including crew members, appears to be an accident. "We cannot confirm our involvement in these events regarding the specified aircraft. According to the information available at this time, it is most likely that this was an accident," he noted in a comment to Ukrinform.

The Navy spokesperson also pointed out that under the conditions of active Russian air defense and electronic warfare systems operating in Crimea, the possibility of the enemy's own means affecting the situation cannot be ruled out. "This could be related to GPS jamming or errors in the operation of air defense systems during combat operations," he added.

Pletenchuk also expressed the opinion that over time, the amount of information regarding these incidents will undoubtedly increase. "However, in any case, such information obtained on the territory of temporarily occupied Crimea usually undergoes quite a lengthy verification and search process because it occurs in fact in hostile territory," he explained.

Regarding the incident with the Su-30 fighter jet, Pletenchuk also confirmed that the Navy is not involved in this case and cannot confirm the fact of the aircraft being shot down. "It is most likely that an accident occurred related to the operation of the specified aircraft. This may be connected with the extreme operational modes of these aircraft," the spokesperson noted.

He clarified that the intensive use of Russian aviation in the Azov-Black Sea region affects the wear and tear of equipment and crew fatigue, which can lead to such incidents, especially with the onset of the active flight season.

It is worth recalling that the Russian military transport aircraft An-26 crashed during a flight over temporarily occupied Crimea, resulting in the deaths of six crew members and 23 passengers. Additionally, a Russian Su-30 fighter jet also crashed in Crimea, with the crew ejecting safely.

Photo: Facebook/Dmytro Pletenchuk

Join our channels on Telegram, Instagram, and YouTube.