Mysterious crash of a Russian private plane: A 65-year-old millionaire and a 64-year-old woman die after “engine problems” | outside

The private plane – with six people on board – crashed on Saturday evening. It concerns a charter flight that was en route from India to Moscow via Uzbekistan. Ivshukov's wife fell seriously ill during a luxury vacation in Thailand. According to local media, she had a “mysterious infection.”

Ivshukov – who has been honored in the past by a regional governor Putin for his “courageous” work in building the economy in Russia's southern Rutov region – then arranged a flight for her to receive treatment in Russia. However, the couple never reached Moscow. Their son Vitaly, 41, who was unable to travel on a private plane and had to take a scheduled flight to Moscow, learned the news upon his return.

The four crew members survived the accident. Pictures and videos of survivors were circulated on social media, including 26-year-old paramedic Igor Sivortkin, who went to the nearest Afghan village to seek help after the accident. In the end, it was local residents who reported the incident to the authorities in Badakhshan.

Russia announced the opening of an investigation into “a violation of safety rules that led to the death of two or more people due to negligence.” But there is still a lot of mistrust regarding the incident. It is possible that Western sanctions imposed on Russian aviation were the cause of the accident. These penalties cause more and more technical problems and forced landings.