Functional forces investigate at the scene of the incident near Chuhuiv airbase, about 30km southeast of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine on September 25, 2020 (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Zelenskiy said an investigation committee, which includes pilots, defense ministry, home affairs ministry, and competent agencies, has been established. He declared Saturday a day of national mourning. Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office has already instituted criminal proceedings as the accident involved violation of flight rules that causes serious consequences.

According to Ukraine's Ministry of Emergency Situations, the An-26 military aircraft carried 27 people, including 7 crew members and 20 trainees of the Kharkov Air Force Academy. The accident killed 26 people and only one practitioner survived.