A high-ranking Russian air force officer was killed in the crash of a military transport plane last week in Crimea, a region under Moscow's control, according to information confirmed Monday by a Russian official. The accident claimed a total of 30 lives.
Lieutenant General Alexander Otroshchenko, commander of the air force and air defense of the 45th Army of the Northern Fleet, was among the dead. His death was announced by Andrei Chibis, governor of the Murmansk region, where this strategic fleet is stationed.
The exact circumstances of the crash have not yet been detailed. The aircraft involved was a military transport plane, and the accident occurred in Crimea, a territory annexed by Russia in 2014 and at the heart of tensions related to the conflict with Ukraine.
The death of an officer of this rank is a significant blow to the Russian armed forces, particularly to the air units linked to the Northern Fleet. It comes in the context of a protracted war, where military losses, including among officers, remain substantial.
No further information has been provided on possible survivors or on the technical or operational causes of the accident, which may be the subject of a further investigation by the Russian military authorities.
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