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Scoop of the weekend: 26 people killed in An-26 air crash

Scoop of the weekend: 26 people killed in An-26 air crash

An-26 tragedy

An An-26 twin-engined turboprop military transport aircraft of the Ukrainian Armed Forces crashed near Chuhuyiv, Kharkiv Region at around 9 p.m. on 25 September. Twenty-five people, most cadets of the Kharkiv Ivan Kozhedub Air Force Academy, were killed on the spot. Two cadets managed to get out of the plane, but one of them succumbed to wounds in a hospital.

The only remaining survivor, cadet Vyacheslav Zolochevskyy, had no major injuries and is recovering, according to doctors.

According to Defence Minister Andriy Taran, the aircraft wing touched the ground after a sensor in its left engine failed. Manufactured in 1977, the aircraft had 5,000 flight hours before the next scheduled engine maintenance.

The State Investigation Bureau is considering four versions behind the crash: technical failure of aircraft units, improper implementation of duties by the crew or a flight commander, improper technical maintenance or preparation for flight.

Flight recorders have been retrieved from the plane.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who visited the crash site on 26 September, has grounded all An-26 until the reasons of the tragedy are established. He also said that compensations will be paid to the bereaved families.

The day of mourning was declared in Ukraine on 26 September.

Foreign policy

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has called on Armenia and Azerbaijan "to return to dialogue" on Nagorno-Karabakh following the hostilities which erupted over this disputed area.

The EU-Ukraine summit has been rescheduled from 1 October to 6 October, according to European Council President Charles Michel. It will be held in Brussels.

Donbas

Four ceasefire violations by Russia-backed militants near Opytne, Orikhove and Shumy were registered from midnight to 5 p.m. on 27 September, the Joint Forces Operation HQ said in the evening update.

Three Ukrainian servicemen sustained fragmentation wounds after setting off an explosive device near Orikhove in Luhansk Region on 26 September.

The head of the presidential office, Andriy Yermak, has called on participants in the trilateral contact group on Donbas "not to protract the process of negotiations" and to meet every week. He expects this to facilitate the implementation of the Normandy Four agreements.

Coronavirus

By the morning of 27 September, Ukraine has registered 3,130 new Covid-19 cases, including 494 in Kharkiv Region, which is a local record. There are currently 106,793 active cases in Ukraine.

Local elections

The pro-presidential Servant of the People party is checking its MP Mykola Halushko's allegation that all seats on the party's list in Kyiv Region's constituency No 97 (Brovary) have been sold ahead of the local polls. On 26 September, the MP said he would be leaving the party in protest.

Thirteen candidates for the Kyiv mayor's post, including incumbent Vitaliy Klitschko, have been registered ahead of the 25 October elections.

Uman mayor Oleksandr Tsebriy, who planned to seek re-election, has been denied registration as candidate. However, according to him, the electoral commission has registered two of him full namesakes.

Incident

A massive forest fire broke out near the village of Vasylkivska Pustosh in Donetsk Region, Kramatorsk mayor Andriy Pankov has said on Facebook.

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