A Russian military transport airplane has crashed during landing at Khmeimim Airbase in Syria.
All 26 passengers and six crew members died in the crash on Tuesday.
Defence ministry of Russia said the An-26 plane crashed at the airbase near the Syrian coastal city of Latakia.
Russia made it clear that the plane was not fired upon and preliminary data suggests a technical malfunction could have caused the crash.
The airplane hit the ground some 500 meters from the runway. It did not come under fire before the incident, the Russian military said.
Russian media, rt.com, said, an investigation is now under way.
On 31 December 2017, Russian warplanes were damaged at Khmeimim after a rebel mortar attack.
Khmeimim is Russia's main base for air strikes on rebel groups in Syria that have enabled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces to recover much lost ground.
