MOSCOW—A Russian transport plane crashed while landing at the country’s air base in Syria on Tuesday, killing all 32 people on board, Russia’s defense ministry said, in another setback for the Kremlin’s military intervention.

The Antonov An-26 aircraft was likely not a victim of fire from hostile groups that have launched attacks on the base before, according to the ministry. </s> A Russian transport plane crashed in Syria on Tuesday, killing all 32 people on board, Russian news agencies cited the Russian defence ministry as saying.

The ministry was cited as saying that the plane crashed at Russia’s Hmeymim air base in Latakia Governorate and that initial information suggested the crash may have been caused by a technical fault.

It was quoted as saying that 26 passengers and six crew members were on board. – Reuters </s> A Russian military transport plane crashed as it was on landing approach at an air base in western Syria on Tuesday, killing all 39 people aboard, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The twin-engine Antonov An-26 transport crashed at the Hemeimeem Air Base in Latakia province and initial reports indicated a likely mechanical failure, the ministry said.

The Moscow Times reports that there were 33 passengers and six crew aboard. The transport crashed just 1,600 feet short of the runway, according to Reuters.

Initially Russian news agencies had reported that a total of 32 were aboard the transport before later raising the death toll.

"All of them were members of the Russian Armed Forces," Interfax news agency quoted the Russian defense ministry as saying. "The crew and the passengers were killed."

As The Moscow Times notes, "Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is running for re-election later this month, ordered 'a significant part' of Moscow's military contingent there to start withdrawing in December, declaring their work largely done. But casualties continue to mount."

Last month, a Russian Su-25 ground attack jet was shot down by a portable anti-aircraft missile over northern Idlib province. The pilot reportedly ejected over an area controlled by militants.

The Soviet-era An-26 is a mainstay of Russian military operations but the aging aircraft has been out of production since the mid-1980s. </s> A Russian cargo plane crashed in Syria on Tuesday, killing all 39 people onboard, Russia’s Defense Ministry said.

The An-26 plane crashed while attempting to land at Khmeimim Air Base, located near the Syrian coastal city of Latakia. The plane, carrying 23 passengers and six crew members, was 1,600 feet from the runway. Reports initially said there were 26 passengers on the plane. The people aboard the plane were Russian servicemen.

The military said preliminary reports indicated the deadly crash was caused by a technical error.

"The plane was not shot down," the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported, according to Russia's REN TV.

Russian President Vladimir Putin received a briefing about the deadly crash and offered his condolences to the victims’ families.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in a statement on the government's website said he was "deeply shaken" by the crash, which had caused "an irreparable loss."

Russia, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, leases a military base in Syria near the Mediterranean coast. The base is far from the front lines of the conflict, but came under shelling in December.

Tuesday’s crash was also the second military plane to crash in Syria this year. Su-25 ground attack jet was struck by a portable air defense missile over the northern Idlib province last month.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. </s> The plane may have been affected by a bird flying into its engine, news agency RIA-Novosti reported, quoting a statement from the defense ministry,

The plane was gaining altitude after taking off from Hmeimim airbase in Syria before it crashed, the ministry said.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing a Russian military jet fall in the water off the coast of the town of Jableh, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Hmeimim, which is near Latakia, about 241 kilometers (150 miles) north of Damascus, is Russia's largest airbase in Syria.

In March, 39 people, including military personnel, were killed when a Russian transport plane crashed while trying to land at Hmeimin, Russian state media reported. All 33 passengers and six crew members were killed in the crash, RIA-Novosti reported, citing the Defense Ministry. In December 2016, a Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft crashed after taking off from the Adler airport near the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, killing 84 passengers and eight crew members . The plane was carrying more than 60 members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, the Russian army's official dance and choir company, on its way to Syria to give a holiday performance for troops. </s> Russian Defence Ministry said a transport plane crashed in Syria on Tuesday, killing all 32 people on board. (Representational image)

Moscow: A Russian transport plane crashed in Syria on Tuesday, killing all 32 people on board, Russian news agencies cited the Russian Defence Ministry as saying.

The ministry was cited as saying that the plane crashed at Russia’s Hmeymim air base in Latakia Province and that initial information suggested the crash may have been caused by a technical fault.

It was quoted as saying that 26 passengers and six crew members were on board. </s> MOSCOW — A Russian military cargo plane crashed as it was descending to land at an air base in Syria on Tuesday, killing all 32 people onboard, the Russian Defence Ministry said.

The Russian military said an An-26, with 26 passengers and six crew members onboard, crashed just 500 metres (1,600 feet) from the runway. The military blamed the crash on a technical error.

Russia, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, leases the Hemeimeem military base in Syria, near the Mediterranean coast.

The base is far from the front lines of the conflict, but came under shelling in December. The Russian military insisted the cargo plane did not come under fire, while saying it would conduct a full investigation.

The military did not immediately identify the victims.

President Vladimir Putin offered his condolences to the families of those killed in the crash, his spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, was quoted as saying by Russian news wires. Peskov said Putin had received a briefing by Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.

It was the second Russian military plane to crash in Syria this year, after a Su-25 ground attack jet was struck by a portable air defence missile over the northern Idlib province last month.

The Antonov An-26 is a twin-engine transport plane designed in the late 1960s in the Soviet Union. Large numbers have remained in service in Russia and many other countries around the world.

An An-26 belonging to a military flight school crash-landed and caught fire southeast of Moscow in May, killing one crewmember.

The RIA Novosti news agency on Tuesday quoted Col. Gen. Nikolai Antoshkin, former deputy commander of the Russian Air Force, as calling the An-26 a “reliable machine” even though it has been out of production since 1986. </s> A Russian military cargo plane has crashed as it was descending to land at an air base in Syria, killing all 39 people onboard, the Russian Defence Ministry said.

The Russian military said an An-26, with 33 passengers and six crew members onboard, crashed just 500 metres from the runway.

The military blamed the crash on a technical error and insisted that the plane was not shot down.

All of the people on board were Russian servicemen, the ministry said.

Russia, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, leases the Hemeimeem military base in Syria, near the Mediterranean coast.

The base is far from the frontlines of the conflict, but came under shelling in December.

The Russian military insisted the cargo plane did not come under fire, while saying it would conduct a full investigation.

President Vladimir Putin offered his condolences to the families of those killed in the crash after receiving a briefing by Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, the Kremlin said in a statement.

The Interfax news agency quoted a spokeswoman for Russia's Investigative Committee, which handles high-profile cases, as saying Russian investigators have been dispatched to Syria to look into the crash.

It was the second Russian military plane to crash in Syria this year, after a Su-25 ground attack jet was struck by a portable air defence missile over the northern Idlib province last month.

The Antonov An-26 is a twin-engine transport plane designed in the late 1960s in the Soviet Union.

Large numbers have remained in service in Russia and many other countries around the world.

An An-26 belonging to a military flight school crash-landed and caught fire south-east of Moscow in May, killing one crew member.

The RIA Novosti news agency quoted Colonel General Nikolai Antoshkin, former deputy commander of the Russian Air Force, as calling the An-26 a "reliable machine", even though it has been out of production since 1986. </s> A Russian fighter jet crashed after taking off from an airbase in Syria on Thursday, killing both pilots, Moscow’s defence ministry said in a statement carried by news agencies.

 “As it was climbing after taking off from the Hmeimim airbase, the Russian fighter Su-30SM crashed into the Mediterranean Sea.

 Two pilots, who fought until the last minute to save the plane, died, according to reports from the scene,” the statement said.

 The ministry said the plane had not come under fire, adding that “according to preliminary information, the reason for the crash could have been a bird falling into the engine”.

 The accident brings Russia’s official military losses in Syria to 86. The most recent acknowledged military loss came when a transport plane crashed on landing at the Hmeimim airbase in March, killing all 39 people on board.

 But Russian nationals are regularly reported to be serving as paid mercenaries in Syria and taking on dangerous missions that often lead to casualties.—AFP
A Russian Antonov An-26 transport plane crashes during an attempted landing at Khmeimim Air Base in Latakia, Syria, killing all 39 people onboard.