Ukraine war latest: An-26 crash in occupied Crimea kills Russian general, BBC reports
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Key developments on April 2:
- An-26 crash in occupied Crimea kills Russian general, BBC reports
- Lviv Customs inspector suspected in killing of enlistment officer, police say
- Russia's Gazprom claims Ukrainian strikes on TurkStream pipeline
- Melania Trump helps return of 7 Ukrainian children taken by Russia
Russian Lieutenant-General Aleksandr Otroshchenko was one of those aboard the An-26 transport plane that crashed in Russian-occupied Crimea on March 31, BBC's Russian Service reported, citing unnamed sources in the Russian Northern Fleet.
The plane had crashed into the mountains of the occupied peninsula, killing 29 military personnel on board, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
According to the BBC, Otroshchenko's death was separately confirmed by a relative of another victim and reported in local Telegram chats, but has not been officially confirmed.
Otroshchenko served as commander of the Northern Fleet's air corps, a position he had held since 2013, and took part in Russian operations in Syria.
A criminal case has been opened into the crash under Article 351 of the Russian Criminal Code, which covers violations of flight rules or preparation regulations, the Russian Investigative Committee said.
Search efforts have continued in the mountainous area where the crash reportedly occurred, involving military investigators, rescue workers, police officers, and forensic experts, Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti Crimea reported on April 1.
Russian state media TASS, citing its sources, said the aircraft had crashed into a cliff.
RIA Novosti, citing the Russian Defense Ministry, initially reported that the fate of the aircraft and crew was unknown, with a search-and-rescue team dispatched. The ministry added that "there was no evidence of external damage to the aircraft" despite the loss of contact.
No direct accusations have been made against Ukraine regarding the crash, and Kyiv has not claimed any involvement.
Otroshchenko is the 14th Russian general to be killed since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Lviv Customs inspector suspected in killing of enlistment officer, police say
Police have detained a Lviv Customs inspector suspected of fatally stabbing an enlistment officer in the neck during a document check on April 2, the National Police said.
The incident comes amid rising tensions in Ukrainian society over mobilization efforts, which remain critical as Ukraine seeks to sustain its forces against Russia's significantly larger army.
The police received a report of the attack on a service member at around 2:15 p.m. local time. The victim later died in the hospital from his injuries.
Law enforcement launched a special operation involving criminal investigators, patrol officers and other units to track down the suspect.
The suspect, whose name is being withheld pending the investigation, faces 10 to 15 years in prison or life imprisonment.
Motives for the attack are currently under investigation, according to the report.
"Anyone who kills a soldier — whether on the front lines or in the rear — is acting against Ukraine," the Defense Ministry said in response to the incident.
"The killer will face inevitable punishment. This is the only acceptable stance."
The Defense Ministry added that Ukraine's mobilization system requires changes, which will be implemented "in the near future."
Since the introduction of martial law and full-scale mobilization following Russia's invasion, men aged 25 to 60 are eligible for the draft.
Reports of recruitment officers forcibly detaining men on the streets — also widely spread by Russian disinformation — have become more common as Ukraine faces manpower shortages and fewer volunteers, particularly for front-line infantry roles.
This practice has contributed to growing tensions and, in some cases, violent attacks against recruitment officers, many of whom are soldiers reassigned from combat duty due to injuries.
Russia's Gazprom claims Ukrainian strikes on TurkStream pipeline
Three Ukrainian drones allegedly attacked a compressor station in southern Russia servicing the TurkStream export pipeline, Russian state-controlled natural gas giant Gazprom claimed on April 2.
According to Gazprom, the Russkaya compression station, located in Krasnodar Krai near the Black Sea coast, was undamaged as all drones were shot down.
The news comes as supply strains due to the closure of the Straits of Hormuz amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran continue to push up oil and gas prices.
If true, the attack would come as the latest escalation in Ukraine's campaign against Russian oil export facilities, after two of the country's largest oil terminals in the Baltic Sea — Primorsk and Ust-Luga respectively — were successfully targeted by crippling long-range drone strikes.
This is the not the first such claim — over March, Russia claimed several attempted Ukrainian attacks on the TurkStream and BlueStream pipelines.
Ukraine has yet to respond to the claims, and the Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the information.
Opened in 2020 the TurkStream pipelines carry Russian natural gas through two parallel pipelines — one to Turkey directly and one through Turkey to the Balkans and Central Europe.
Before being sent under the Black Sea to Turkey, the gas is compressed at the Russkaya compression station, making the facility key for the pipeline's functioning.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, TurkStream has become the last functioning Russian pipeline still supplying Europe, after the NordStream pipelines in the Baltic Sea were destroyed and the Yamal-Europe pipeline to Poland stopped operating in 2022, while transit through Ukraine was interrupted indefinitely in 2025.
Melania Trump helps return of 7 Ukrainian children taken by Russia, White House says
U.S. First Lady Melania Trump has helped return seven more Ukrainian children taken by Russia, the White House said in a statement on April 2.
"Reunifying children with their loved ones in this region of the world remains one of the most important global issues today," the First Lady said in the statement.
"I am encouraged that both sides remain committed to ongoing cooperation, raising the safety and well-being of children above this abhorrent war."
The First Lady originally wrote to Russian President Vladimir Putin in August 2025, appealing to him about the plight of Ukrainian children, a message that her husband U.S. President Donald Trump later conveyed during his meeting with the Russian leader in Alaska.
In the months since, the White House has said on three previous occasions — before the latest announcement — that Ukrainian children had been safely brought back from Russia, attributing the efforts to the First Lady and an unnamed representative.
The U.S. State Department announced in late March that it had allocated $25 million to help Ukraine identify, bring back, and rehabilitate chilldren that were taken by Russia.
Ukraine has successfully identified more than 20,500 children that have been taken by Russia since the start of the full-scale war. The actual number is likely much higher. Since the start of the full-scale war, a little over 2,000 children have been brought back to Ukraine.
The International Criminal Court issued in March 2023 international arrest warrants for both Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia's commissioner for children's rights, regarding the mass abduction of Ukrainian children.
Note from the author:
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