Otrošchenko was among the passengers of the plane that crashed on the evening of March 31 near the village of Kujbyševo in the Bakhchisaray district. Sources from the Northern Fleet and a resident of Severomorsk, who lost a relative in the disaster, confirmed the lieutenant general’s death to the BBC. According to the source, there were other officers of the Northern Fleet on board, writes The Insider website.
Between 2010 and 2013, Otrošchenko commanded the naval aviation of the Black Sea Fleet, then led the naval aviation of the Northern Fleet and commanded the 45th Air and Air Defense Army. In 2019, he was promoted to lieutenant general, and in 2024 he became the commander of the mixed air corps of the Northern Fleet. He also participated in the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the Russian operation in Syria.
The An-26 plane crashed on March 31. According to the TASS agency, there were 29 people on board, six of whom were crew members and 23 passengers. They all perished. From the investigation so far, it appears that the cause of the accident was a technical fault.
According to the Mediazona website and the Russian-language version of the BBC, Otroshchenko is the fifth lieutenant general to die since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
